


Mostly Void, Partially Stars

by theYada



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Aromantic Kim Taehyung | V, Astronaut Kim Taehyung | V, Barista Jeon Jungkook, Based off an edit, Blood and Injury, Character Death, Don't get attached to anyone who isn't BTS, Don't get too attached to Jungkook either I guess, Friendship/Love, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Long-Distance Friendship, Loss, M/M, Minor Character Death, Outer Space, Panic Attacks, Photographer Jeon Jungkook, Platonic Relationships, The Yoonmin is like lowkey referenced, Tragedy, Waiting, Why are tags never in order, depends how you see it I guess, ish, taekook, vkook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-03
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-04-18 01:16:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14201853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theYada/pseuds/theYada
Summary: Based off the video by parkprothttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06OfidVMfDM&list=LLc0L19lWP8A92jgbSZgrMYw&t=0s&index=5Taehyung meets Jungkook when the younger boy decides to approach him at a cafe while he's studying for exams at the Space Academy and somehow they become close friends, then eventually room mates.Maybe it could have been something more.Except it wasn't, because after Taehyung has been posted to deep space, Jungkook receives a letter from the Academy. He'd been upset at how long the older would be gone but Taehyung might not come home at all now. And even if he does, nobody knows when it could be or how much he'd have to catch up on when he does return.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written anything in a long while so if you guys spot any mistakes please let me know!
> 
> Someone over on wattpad already started writing this however due to circumstance they could not finish and honestly the video inspired me so much that I couldn't not write this. In the video we see shuttles from sort of now taking off and entering the atmosphere - personally I'm using artistic license to put this as more of a Star Trek/Elite:Dangerous period of time because that also explains the time shift thing better than if they were in near space as we are now with astronauts. 
> 
> Credit to Elite Dangerous for the star names though.

 

 

 

Taehyung practically shoves the door closed against it's frame to keep the driving wind and rain out and steps up to the counter of the small coffee shop whilst still trying to shake water from his hair and keep the drenched strands from his eyes.

"I'll have an - "

"Iced Americano? I know"

Taehyung's eyes snap up to stare at the barista opposite him who only chuckles lightly and rings the order up. The boy staring back at him has wide doe eyes and gently tousled hair and for a second Taehyung thinks he's got an insanely attractive stalker.

"You have the same thing every time" is the only explanation he gives "Take a seat, I'll bring it over for you"

Oh. Is he really that predictable? Or does he just come here that often that pretty boy knew his order?

Taehyung's voice is quiet as he gives his thanks then turns to find a table to throw his stuff on. As soon as he's sat he begins to pull papers from his bag, familiar black print on white paper covered with notes to the point where the maps are almost unreadable to anyone else. This is familiar. Carefully, Taehyung flips the sheets to a series of practice questions and takes a pen out in preparation. He still doesn't understand exactly why these questions are so important since any ship or station will have any required star maps on them but still, his final exam is in a few weeks time and he needs to pass.

_What is the correct protocol for navigation through the Tapari system?_

He can barely contain a sigh of frustration at the question. Technically, Tapari isn't under any jurisdiction and the Federation doesn't even fly through there so technically there isn't actually a protocol to actually follow. Except there probably is because goodness knows how many rogues operate that deep in space. Taehyung ran a hand through his hair, still staring at the paper before him.

Think. None of these are trick questions.

Why, why could he not remember this?

_Best case navigation should not take any craft through the Tapari system however if unavoidable..._

What actually would they do though? Surely navigators just planned in accordance for going around rather than through the system. As far as Taehyung could see, the best case would be to haul ass out of the system as soon as possible, avoiding any and all contact with non-Federation craft in the process until back into the safe areas actually under a jurisdiction. Writing that was probably frowned upon however so what - ?

"Don't eat that, I've got you something better"

Taehyung startles when Pretty Boy appears next to the table and slides a tray with not only his coffee but also a slice of cake on top of his papers then slowly removes the pen that had migrated between his teeth. Instead of walking off however, the barista  slips into the chair opposite Taehyung and brings his hands up to the table to set out the items from the tray, placing the tray by his feet when he's done.

"Soooo, a Spacey huh? How come you're here at not studying at the Academy with everyone else?"

The cadet just stares back at him trying to formulate some kind of response "Do you always interrupt people whilst they're working?"

Pretty boy laughs lightly and a smile settles on his face as he makes eye contact with Taehyung "No, but I'm just curious as to what a pretty little space cadet is doing trying to study here when they could be at their dedicated facility of study"

Taehyung takes a sip of the coffee and hums. Why is he here? He'd come in search of actual coffee as opposed to ditchwater and had kept coming back to study day after day. Another sip. Fuck, this coffee has so much more flavour than the stuff in the Academy canteen.

"Everyone is stressed out about the final exam, I just wanted somewhere calm to work I guess" he pauses "Why are you so interested anyways?"

"Like I said, Spaceys usually stay at the Academy in their designated facilities and we only get a few on weekends. But you, you keep coming back at the same time every few days, getting the same thing and studying for a few hours. I'm just curious"

"Nosey more like"

The boy snorts at Taehyungs mutterings and for some reason the cadet can't find himself staying mad at the kid. Everybody at the Academy is always so fixed on their own achievement that they never really talk to others beyond their studies. The change is something he didn't even know he needed. 

Opposite him, Pretty Boy shifts to lean on the table "So has Spacey got a name?"

"It's Taehyung"

"Well Taehyung, nice to meet you, I'm Jungkook" he holds his hand out for Taehyung to shake then stands to dust off his apron "I've got to get back to work but I'll see you same time Thursday right?"

How in the hell has he memorised that? Is this kid stalking him or-

"Enjoy the cake Taehyung and good luck with your studies" 

And with that the barista has disappeared behind the counter to greet a new customer with one of his infectious smiles. Damn. Taehyung let out a breath of air. Nobody had really interacted with him like that since he enrolled at the Academy, and any cadet who had had quickly given up as they became focused on succeeding in the wildly competitive Federation. Shaking his head to clear the thoughts, Taehyung settles back to his work.

 

* * *

 

 

So because I suck at character description I'm just going to slap some reference images here.

The dress uniform (what they wear to formal events or to visit the building if they aren't non active duty) of the Federation is the same as what Yoongi is wearing in the picture and each person has one of those shoulder cords, with different colours representing what division they're part of. Working uniform is similar to military jumpsuits but instead they're black, have the shoulder slides for rank tapes and the edge of the wearers badge has the same colour for their division.

[Jungkook](https://78.media.tumblr.com/a6aa92b50b54f7a30345dd6f90c4df0f/tumblr_p5xfaoIpxe1x0v7w3o1_500.jpg)   [Taehyung](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/87/52/79/875279ea2849536b3e50d8fdb3d225c4.jpg)   [Jimin](https://78.media.tumblr.com/49046c2ffd485ce13408713562757594/tumblr_p1qnx7THZw1ud88gno1_1280.jpg)   [Namjoon](https://i.pinimg.com/736x/c1/0c/c4/c10cc465e5258f23ac85c538f39ae969--kim-namjoon-rap-monster.jpg)   [Hoseok](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTBn1qEVMAA9LsY.jpg)  [Yoongi](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/07/05/fc/0705fcadc909e7f376f8bcbb342490e1.jpg)  [Seokjin](https://pm1.narvii.com/6692/a0760b1e3fba5b0bffbcb5b3833992822b3142c2_hq.jpg)

Hopefully this makes sense. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like comments!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't mention it before but the title comes from a quote from Welcome to Nightvale.
> 
> Also I really hate dialogue, I'm sorry this sucks so much I only wanted to write the space parts of this ._. Please comment though I'm trash who just wants appreciation.

 

 

 

“I’ll be with you in just a moment”

If Jungkook hears that damn bell on the door one more time he swears he’s going to shove it up the next customer’s ass. Every single time he had to deal with _that_ table yet more people had walked in to be served and the barista had been running around for the better part of an hour trying to keep everybody happy until someone else turned up for their shift.

When the plates slip from his hands just as he’s placing them on the shelf he can’t stop the curse that spills from his lips. He’ll have to deal with it leater. Instead, he spins around to greet the next customer, words coming out in a jumbled rush.

“Hi, sorryaboutthewaitwhatcanI-”

Rather than more irritated customers Jungkook is met by a boxy smile and bright eyes.

“You seem kinda stressed out”

He only laughs, too high and too forced, and runs a hand through his hair in agitation. The sudden calm feels odd compared to the rush and his muscles still feel jittery. Just in case, Jungkook sweeps his eyes over the café again but all seems calm.

“I think I’m okay now. Just…give me a moment I’ll see if I can take my break”

Taehyung nods and flashes an even wider smile back “Bring coffee over?”

“Yes Tae, I’ll bring your coffee over” the other boy practically glows brighter at that “Go on and get studying I’ll be there in a sec”

As Taehyung turns away to find a table Jungkook wonders how it went from an awkward encounter a few months ago to meeting regularly and sharing company. Persistence on his part he guesses. The burning desire to find out just why a space cadet was coming to study at the same time every other day. And maybe a little bit of a crush.

Jungkook has just finished preparing their drinks when Minhhyuk finally walks out of the staff room to join him. He musters every ounce of wide eyed innocence and desperation that he can, begging them to let him take a break from the chaos. Minhyuk grants his request with a wiggle of his eyebrows that has Jungkook shoving him against the counter and the blonde only barks a laugh in response.

“Go get ‘em lover boy”

He only rolls his eyes in response and grabs the tray to take over to Taehyung. The older boy already has his papers scattered across the entire table but his pen this time is flying across the page as opposed to being sat between his teeth. There’s a rustle where he flips to a different sheet and then the pen is scratching across the free space between already crowded notes. For a second Jungkook just watches, fascinated by the focus on the usually hyper boys face. If only he had his camera on him. Instead, he carefully gathers the sheets together with one hand and slides them under Taehyungs arm before placing the tray in the now vacant spot. Taehyung keeps writing, his hand moving at an alarming pace.

Eventually the cadet stops writing and looks up with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry I just really wanted to get that written down”

Taehyung grabs his coffee from the tray and downs almost half of it

“I didn’t want to disturb you, you looked so focussed” He glanced at the cup “Although I doubt you’ll be able to focus on anything after drinking that fast”

“What can I say? I have to flush the ditchwater from the Academy canteen from my system and get enough decent coffee in me to last until I next come here”

“So less than a day?”

His smile stretches wider at that “I really like coffee”

When Taehyung goes back to his work Jungkook just watches the concentration on his face and considers all that he’s learned about the boy in front of him. Taehyung liks space, a lot. When he pouts he looks like a lost puppy but when he smiles it’s like staring at the sun. He’s also hyper active as fuck and Jungkook wonders exactly how it is that he’s made it through 5 years of training to become a navigator for the Federation.

Taehyung’s voice breaks through his short contemplation “Kook?”

He hums an affirmation.

“How come you wanted to be a photographer?”

“Because I like taking pictures”

Taehyung sighs “That’s not what I meeeaaan. You know what inspires you, what really gets you excited about life?”

You. Your face, especially when you concentrate.

“Like me I love space and all its possibilities it’s amazing isn’t it really that once people never even left their towns and now here we are with star maps for an entire galaxy” Taehyungs voice has risen in pitch and his eyes are sparkling. God, he looks gorgeous when he gets excited. “There’s so much out there and we’re never going to be able to explore all of it but maybe, just maybe, I can see a little part of it and be a part of something different. Don’t you think it’s cool?”

“Isn’t space mostly just a void that can kill you?”

“But there are small pockets of _something_ out there!”

Jungkook takes a sip of his own drink “I guess. What’s got you so curious today anyway?”

The other boy shrugs and looks down at his papers “I just want to get to know you”

“I’ve basically told you my life story over the last few week” the barista laughs “What more is there to know?”

“Well…I don’t know any of your living habits”

“Why does that-“

“And I really need to find a roommate for when I graduate because apparently now they’re not even giving us anywhere to stay or leave our stuff when we get posted”

Taehyung looks up sheepishly to meet his eyes. Jungkook can’t deny that he isn’t surprised but based on what Taehyung has told him about the Academy it doesn’t surprise him either.

“You want to move in with me?”

“You’re the one who wanted to get to know me in the first place, bugging me whilst I tried to study”

“So you think you can capitalise on that by asking to move in with me?”

“I’ll pay rent”

And damn if Jungkook didn’t fall for that boxy grin and shining eyes. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started this with great intentions and then my ideas died...  
> Also update Taehyung is aromantic because I dont know how to write romance properly but I sure as hell know what it's like to be ace and sorta intimate with friends. It makes sense shhhhh
> 
> Please comment I need validation D:

 

 

 

There's a loose thread on his trousers. Taehyung stares at it for a second before grabbing it between his fingers and pulling back. He watches as the fabric on his leg bunches up, thread pulling taught against its stitching until it finally pinged fee. Now there's a slightly ragged edge where the cotton snapped.

He'd been doing relatively well at tuning out the nervous energy of other Academy graduates but it's become increasingly harder as the room fills and his mind grows tired of each distraction method. It probably doesn't help that even over the hammering of rain against the window Taehyung can hear the rumbling of a waiting crowd in the hall next door to them. The buzz of his phone at least provides another distraction. A few other cadets cast disapproving which Taehyung ignores as he slips his phone from his pocket to read the message.

_**Kook:** I'm here :)_

He starts typing, only to be interrupted by another incoming message.

_**Kook:** Sorry I couldn't get your parents to come, they would have been proud to see you graduate. Apparently they can't support you with your "current lifestyle"_

Oh. Even reading the inverted commas in Jungkooks usual sassy tone couldn't soften the blow of his parents disapproval. Maybe it was too much to hope that they would be impressed by his graduating one of the Academy's most competitive and demanding courses. 

_**Tae:** It's okay_

_**Tae:** At least you're here_

_**Kook:** It's not okay though - we're just roommates  _

Taehyung just sighs. Right. If just being roommates meant cuddling on the couch or sleeping together or holding hands in public then sure that's what they are. He looks back at the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything else but instead seeing only the fogged up glass. Whatever he and Jungkook are, his parents don't agree with it. Whatever it is, it's fallen into place gradually ever since the younger boy first invited himself over to initiate conversation. Whatever it is, Taehyung doesn't feel like it's love, just a natural extension of their friendship, even though it goes beyond the bounds of many otherwise friendships.

They probably should talk about it. Then again, if it's evolved this naturally would it even be right to bring it up or would it just make things glaringly obvious and awkward? Maybe Jungkook thinks that he actually feels some kind of attraction back and believes they're in relationship territory but Taehyung is just scared to say it allowed.

Curse being clingy. Curse Jungkook and his easy smile and cool confidence. Curse his falling into such a close relationship.

"Come on cadet, phone away," He whips his head up at the sharp voice and meets the eyes of Commander Kim "I know its graduation day but rules are rules. You can text all you want when you leave and, even better, you can talk to your family in less than an hour after the presentations"

Heat rises up Taehyungs cheeks when other graduates turn around to stare at the Commander and he hastily shoves the phone back in his pocket. The Commander smiles at him and then turns to address the room at large.

"Right then. This is it guys, congratulations" A few people start to whoop loudly until a hand is held up to silence them "Just so you know, you'll be going up alphabetically by section. Once you've got your certificate take a seat to the side and try not to do anything stupid in front of everybody. Okay?" He casts a particularly stern look at the group who had cheered earlier. 

Slowly, murmuring starts up among the cadets and they quickly turn back to their own conversations once it's clear that Commander Kim has nothing more to say. It's only when Taehyung blinks that he realises the Commander is watching him expectantly.

"Sorry, I- Did you say something?"

"Come on cadet, you only have to pay attention for another hour" There's no malice behind the words

"'M not a cadet anymore Junmyeon"

"Sure you are" he smiles broadly "You're younger than me and have yet to receive promotion - therefore, cadet. Also it's Commander Kim to you when we're inside these walls"

This time an eye roll actually does break past Taehyungs control. Just because he didn't socialise with the others in his cohort and sat alone at meals, _Commander Kim_ had taken it upon himself to keep an eye on the other boy.

Junmyeon opens his mouth to speak only to be cut off by the bell. He wheels around to call to the room instead "Right, everybody up! Get in line - medical section first, then engineers then- no, Lee wrong place. Cadet Lee! _Lee Dawon_ , thank you, you're in the wrong place. Navigation next, okay communications after..."

Taehyung tunes out as he steps into line and just lets himself be swept along by the activity. Somehow a small voice in his brain has started to question the three years he spent studying, three years that had failed to restore the relationship with his parents and would be about to separate him from the one person who seemed to care. What if he's made a huge mistake? Maybe he should have done as Jungkook did, stayed in school for longer and focus on a career closer to home. Maybe he should have been firmer in avoiding a relationship with Jungkook because of their inevitable separation, a separation which will lead to Taehyung returning to a changed earth when he himself has not changed.

At some point they arrive behind the stage and the Commander stops fussing with uniform in order to take his place next to the Marshal overseeing graduation.

At some point Taehyung finds himself being shaken by the boy behind him with urgent whispering in his ear

"Hey, hey! Kim it's you. Go" The other boy all but hisses at him and gives him another hard shove.

Taehyung barely has time to plaster a smile on his face and get his legs to respond to instructions from his brain to just walk normally before he's emerging into the bright lights.

.

.

.

.

.

Jungkook barely pays attention to the rest of the presentation after Taehyung takes his seat, watching the other with concern. When he'd walked Taehyung had looked stiff, smile wide and plastic look, feet taking awkward paces across the stage. Even when he sat down with the others he looked as if he wanted to be somewhere else, and now as he's walking away again he doesn't seem to be entirely paying attention to the activity around him.

He knows it's almost certainly because the others parents didn't bother to turn up, all because of something that they assumed to be true. Because they seemed to think the pair were too _intimate_ to solely be roommates. Maybe it's true. Most roommates don't hold hands in public or share a bed 80% of the time. Most roommates don't naturally fall into a rhythm of hours spent cuddling on the couch without questioning where they were going with things. Most roommates don't do that whilst hoping to hear words fall from their partners lips, all whilst holding back their own feelings out of fear of rejection.

But then Jungkook feels anger bubbling up when the thought of Taehyung being the dismissed by his parents, because of an assumption on their part, on what should be his day of celebration. Hell, it had taken a lot of self control earlier to just leave it when they said they wouldn't be coming.

Suddenly, people are clapping which pulls Jungkook back to the moment.

"...congratulate them. And don't forget to enjoy their company now that they're back!"

Jungkook scoffs. Enjoy seeing your family before they get sent on year long missions across the galaxy more like. When looks back up from his feet the Marshal has vanished and people are starting to gather up belongings, slowly getting louder as conversations and praises for their family start up again. 

The crowd wanders (far too slowly for Jungkook's liking) down corridors and back out to the entrance of the building where the graduates are already waiting, hovering at the door as if unsure whether to venture outside and ease the pressure or stay in blissful dry. As people start to grab umbrellas and try to locate their respective graduate the crowd slows even further, forcing Jungkook to dodge around a particularly tall graduate who has 3 children clinging to his legs and chanting their congratulations.  He circles round the crowd to come up behind Taehyung who has plastered himself as close to the wall as possible while the crowd pushes past. 

"Hey"

Taehyung jumps at the sound of the others voice but then his face beaks into a smile when he sees Jungkook's face. When Jungkook links their hands together Taehyung feels guilt flare, hot and accusing as it whispers _this is what couples do, not friends...stop leading him to believe you love him._

Jungkook holds his hand anyway and pretends he doesn't see the way Taehyungs eyes flicker away in shame, pretends that he doesn't feel disappointment from the older boys discomfort because _it can't be true. It can't be true if he so comfortably fell into their routine._


	4. Chapter 4

 

 

 

Taehyung had been quick to fall asleep that night, head pillowed on the younger boys thighs and Jungkook honestly didn’t have the heart to move to an actual bed. Not when he looked so at peace compared to earlier on at the graduation.

Now, as he tried to carefully stretch his legs out without waking Taehyung up, Jungkook thinks back to when he’d laced their fingers together and seen the elder’s eyes flicker away. He thinks of all the times he’d tried to inch their relationship forward only to be easily shrugged off back into strictly platonic territory despite how Taehyung had seemed open, eager even, to things.

The buzzing of a phone against the table startles Jungkook, whole body flinching in response to the sudden loud noise. Taehyung stirs with a groan and his hand flies out to smack randomly at the table until it lands on the offending device, alarm dismissed quickly before he brings it closer to quint at the time displayed on the screen.

_06:15_

Another groan. This time the phone gets tossed somewhere on the floor and the older boy rolls carefully off of Jungkook, still seeming to believe that he’s asleep.

“Why do you have a six am alarm set for a Sunday?” Jungkook just prays that he doesn’t sound as shaken as he currently feels, heart still pounding in his chest.

Taehyung freezes then lifts his head to meet Jungkook’s gaze.

“Sorry…did I wake you?” Taehyung retrieves the phone and stuff it in his pocket “We’re supposed to be at the Academy for 8, something about being assigned and whatnot”

No. He can’t be leaving already. Not now, when there’s so many questions surrounding their relationship.

Jungkook stands and grabs his wrist before he can fully turn to walk away.

“What do you mean leaving? You literally only finished training last week”

Why does he sound like a desperate partner?

Taehyung lets himself be embraced briefly “I’m not leaving today, we’re just getting the assignment today so we can prepare for next week when we start properly” he carefully pulls himself from the hug and heads to the bathroom to wash up. Jungkook lets out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding when the door closes. He takes another glance at the clock and decides to at least give Taehyung a decent breakfast before he leaves. They can talk about things later he supposes.

.

.

.

.

.

 

By the time Taehyung arrives at the Academy almost two hours later his uniform is already soaked through and he seriously regrets his earlier self deciding that a coat would be enough to shield him from the falling water. Past Taehyung is an idiot. Present Taehyung only feels worse when he enters the briefing room to be met by dry and oh so _smug_ cadets and a waiting Sergeant Do.

“Sorry Sergeant, the weather was worse than I-“

“Sit down Kim”

Taehyung snaps his mouth shut and feels shame heat his face. Head bowed, he slips into the nearest chair and glares at the shiny _DO KS_  badge settled on the others uniform. It’s not like he’s late. He keeps his eyes glued on the badge even as snickers start up around the room. So much for the new face of the Academy being mature and responsible.

The Sergeant flicks through a few pages on the clipboard in his grasp, nodding slightly as he reads, before turning to address the recruits gathered in front of him.

“This,” he waves the clipboard for effect “is everyone’s postings as of next Thursday. Times are on the lists for when each of you has to be at the shuttle station – any latecomers will be disciplined”

Taehyung isn’t sure but he thinks he hears someone whisper cough “Taehyung” from the back of the room. Sergeant Do ignores the sound, that is, if he even heard it, and places the clipboard on the desk “You’re all capable of reading, I’m not gonna read it for you so make sure you get the right posting”

With that, he turns towards the door and makes to leave, only to be stopped by the entry of two others into the briefing room.

“Room sit up!”

Immediately everyone snaps to attention, eyes flying up to see Marshal Bang and a small, scowling Commander behind him. Taehyung doesn't miss the light blue shoulder cord that signifies the Commander is pilot.

“Thank you Sergeant. Everyone, as you were - I'm here for Kim Taehyung”

For the second time in a day Taehyung freezes in place,  eyes going wide as he feels icy fear flood his system. Whispers fly between people and immediately Taehyung's brain starts trying to remember any potential mistakes he's made or anything that could land him in trouble.

"A-ah yes Sir" his voice sound high and squeaky and he's all too aware of each step that he makes towards the door.

The Marshal smiles gently "You're not in trouble Kim"

When the door clicks shut behind them Taehyung becomes all too aware of each breath, of how the Commander seems to be scrutinising his every move. All whilst looking like he'd rather be anywhere else than dealing with a new graduate. 

"Kim I'm sorry about this but your posting is being changed as you're the most eligible navigator currently available" 

"Wha-" Taehyung swallows thickly around the dryness in his mouth "What does that mean"

This time the Commander speaks up "It means that we need you to be at the shuttle station tonight". His voice sounds more like a sleepy mumble, laced through with the calm assuredness that every senior staff member has. 

"You'll spend the next few hours going over the briefing and navigational plan with Commander Min here and then you'll have time to go home and gather your things" the Marshal explains "You'll return to earth in seven to eight months time"

That's when Taehyung feels his heart drop into the floor.

"Seven to eight _months_?"

"Seven to eight months of earth time, to you it'll be days" the Commander looks him in the eye "It's not unreasonable Kim, you still have time to say your goodbyes and it's a significantly shorter posting than the others"

That's it then. He can't even argue with it.

"Yes sir I understand"

.

.

.

.

.

_**Tae:** Change of plan, I'm being posted tonight_

_**Kook:** Wait what?_

_**Kook:** I thought you had until Thursday?_

_**Tae** : Idk...someone dropped out and they need me but the shuttle leaves tonight _

_**Kook:** Who dropped out so late? _

_**Kook:** It better be for a good reason _

_**Kook:** That's really not fair on you having to leave so early _

_**Kook:** Will I see you before you go?_

Taehyung can only stare at his phone when the messages come through because he feels guilty for upsetting Jungkook. He feels guilty even while knowing it's not his fault but he can't bring himself to reply. 

Just then Commander Min enters the room holding a stack of papers which he slides across the desk to the younger boy.

"I knew Sergeant Park had already written up the nav plan"

He doesn't comment but just begins to read the first page of the plan. Whoever Sergeant Park is they have a thing for detail that's for sure.

"I know the Marshal didn't give you a choice but thank you for being my nav"  when Taehyung looks up the Commander is watching him with a slightly sad smile only to turn away again "Sergeant Park would be glad to have you taking his place"

"Are you two close then?" his voice comes out a little sharp.

This time he can't me Taehyung's eyes "Yeah we've been a team for a year or so now and -"

"Can you tell me why I've had to take his place so suddenly?" Taehyung doesn't even try to mask the interrogatory tone.

The Commander takes a second to consider his words before replying "Just some...unforseen developments with his health"

Taehyung only nods in acknowledgement and turns back to the papers in front of him. Fourteen days. He can do that. His phone buzzes once more, reminding him that for Jungkook it would be over half a year before he saw him again.

_**Kook:** What time is your shuttle?_

_**Tae:** 7pm_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo just to clarify the Sergeant is Kyungsoo (D.O from Exo), the other Sergeant is Jimin, the Marshal is Bang Sihyuk (Hitman Bang) and of course the Commander is Yoongi.  
> Honestly one of the hardest things about this is fitting random extra characters into the right places wow


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who aren't reading this from the beginning I've added some character descriptions to the first chapter because I'm a lazy writer okay.
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm gonna update in the next two weeks due to my exams (and I'm writing this as I go along) sooo I'm real sorry if you came here expecting regular updates.  
> Also bois I got tickets to the concert :)))))
> 
> As always, please comment your support and feelings (or just yell at/with me that's cool to)

 

 

 

A hand on his arm is suddenly pulling Taehyung back just in time to stop him being crushed by a loader. 

"Easy Kim"

Way to show his competence. It's not like it's his first time at the shuttle station, hell he's even been to the SOL station before but something about this particular trip feels different to him. It could be nerves or it could be pride at his first real posting. Judging by the churning in his stomach Taehyung decides it's almost definitely nerves.

The hand moves up to give his shoulder a gentle squeeze, Commander Min's voice close to his ear to be heard over the activity around them. "It's just a routine supply run, you're more than competent okay?" before Taehyung can reply he's started to walk off again "Come on, we're at bay D and I still have to introduce you to the others"

By the time Taehyung kicks his brain into gear again after the oddly friendly gesture from his Commander he has to jog to catch up again. All around them loading vehicles rumble past ever few seconds, carrying cargo to and from the ships docked at bays on either side. Even over the rumble of shuttles and loaders the sound of commands being issued and an answering chorus of _"yes commander!"_ can be heard. A shadow rises to their left as another passenger shuttle departs and Taehyung looks up to see young faces of cadets pressed up against the windows. He feels just as amazed as they do.

Commander Min peels off to the side with a small arm gesture indicating they've reached bay D. He sweeps his eyes over the mass of black uniforms in front of them but then turns back to Taehyung with a seemingly relived sigh.

"Yoongi!" 

Taehyung barely has time to register the figure moving towards them before the Commander in front of him gets barrelled into by another someone right into the group of astronauts leaving the shuttle.

A fond yet exasperated voice quickly follows "Hoseok! Hobi act professional for goodness sake"

The other figure has managed to wrap himself around the Commander like some kind of red haired koala, and is now swaying about violently, completely unaware of the glares being directed at them. From somewhere within his grasp come small sounds of protest.

"I- uh..." Taehyung doesn't even know what to say because as much as it looks like the Commander is being strangled, red hair doesn't seem to care.

Another taller figure steps around Taehyung to grasp red hairs arm and pull him away carefully. Somehow he's managed to make even the Federation jumpsuits look fashionable, with broad shoulders and thin framed glasses Taehyung could have sworn he's just stepped off the cover of an idol magazine. He gets another shock when ketchup hair steps back and reveals an equally handsome face that has the navigator questioning other people's life decisions.

"You guys work for the Federation when you look like that?" he couldn't have sounded more like a panicked gay if he tried.

The one with glasses laughs slightly then holds out his hand "Commander Kim Seokjin, most people call me Jin though, I'm a medic. Ketchup hair here is Sergeant Jung Hoseok, communications officer and resident sunshine"

Ketch- _Hoseok_ \- gives him a beaming smile 

"So I hear you're a newly graduated navigator? Taking the place of Sergeant Park?" Jin has a very soft way of speaking Taehyung notes "Ready to ferry us halfway across space to be posted on some station out in the back end of nowhere?"

Taehyung nods "Just ready for my first real posting Commander"

Without any warning Taehyung is pulled in for a hug "Yoongi he's so _polite,_ please tell me you haven't been scary to him already he's only small"

" 'm not scary that's my normal face you fucker"

"Says the person crushing me to death" Taehyung mutters into the medics jumpsuit, voice muffled by the fabric and arms surrounding him. He pulls back a little more forcefully against the restraints until they finally release him. He's not sure, but he thinks he hears Hoseok mutter something along the lines of _"Mother hen is back"_ that has Yoongi snickering in response and then the pair are hurrying on board the shuttle when Jin raises an arm towards them.

"Come on then Taehyung, you'd better get to know the idiots you're living with for the next two weeks"

.

.

.

.

.

At first, Jungkook doesn't notice that Taehyung has left. There's still the shoe pile by the door, a tablet left haphazardly on the coffee table, even a stray jumper tossed over the sofa from the older boy and Jungkook forgets about their earlier conversation. When he turns around and sees the note pinned to the fridge his world flips.

Jungkook throws his bag down on the sofa, all thoughts of a relaxing evening gone as he strides over to grab the note. The scrawl on the page and the mess left behind only reminds the barista of Taehyung's hurried departure.

_~~Kookie~~   Jungkook _

_I'm sorry there's still some mess but I literally only had time to grab what I need for the posting. I'll clean the whole apartment when I get back if you like so don't be mad, okay?_

_Because of the time ~~changes~~ difference between us I'll make sure to holocall you whenever I get a break so ~~we can~~  _ _hopefully you won't go too long without seeing me. This is a short posting though and I'll be back before you know it!_

_Don't worry about me and I'll see you soon._

_Taehyung_

When Jungkook looks back at the apartment it's as if the changes have neon signs above them, glaringly obvious now that he remembers Taehyung is gone.

A gap on the bookshelf and a mug missing from the shelf. The toothbrush no longer on the sink and the empty space where his shower gel used to sit.  The photo now removed from Taehyung's side of the bed.

On the wall, the holoscreen is glowing softly with the time and Jungkook wonders where Taehyung is right now and how far away he's gone already. The younger can't believe that he’s actually gone now, that whatever they needed to talk about won't be addressed for months now because he was here, right here, just hours ago and now he's gone halfway across the solar system to SOL station. Then he'll be gone further to who knows where.

Hot tears prickle behind Jungkook’s eyes. He knows he's being stupid and that the apartment isn't as empty as it feels because _he's coming back._ Yet, he can't stop the irrational part of his brain that craves the older boys presence, misses the way he would have excitedly babbled to Jungkook about the excitement of his first posting.

When he feels the first tear slide down his cheek Jungkook finally let's himself sit and cry. He feels selfish for wanting Taehyung back, to hold and say he loves him, especially given Taehyung's actions at the graduation. But his heart aches at the thought of not being able to talk about _things_ with him until he gets back when it's likely that the astronaut will have pushed those thoughts and feelings from his mind. 

Eventually Jungkook pulls himself together and prepares for seven months alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm easily distracted from revision what can I say.
> 
> I also want to stress that this is both not beta read and also not really edited (I literally type it out as a draft on my phone and whoop here it is). And please read the updated tags even though they don't apply to this chapter I have manged to draft some future stuff out sooooo 
> 
> Launch/docking sequences are taken from Elite: Dangerous but maybe changed slightly, system and star names also taken from Elite:Dangerous but I literally only picked them because they sounded cool. The IC in their ship name stands for the type which is Imperial Clipper
> 
> Please give me some kinda validation - whether you love it or hate it, tell me.

 

 

 

Stepping out of the shuttle on board the SOL station had seen Taehyung and his fellow crew being herded into a large mess hall s steaming plate of what can only be considered glop. Their meal had consisted of Yoongi glaring at some Academy trainees whilst they yelled excitedly across the table and Hoseok cajoling a disgusted Seokjin into eating something. The eldest member of their group simply pushed the plate away with relief when they were called for launch.

Now, Taehyung is fidgeting nervously as they stand being briefed by a young looking Corporal. All around them is grey metal and harsh yellow paint informing them of _Danger: Moving Parts_ and _Danger: Airlock Doors_ but Taehyung's focus is on the empty space beyond those doors where the ship will settle for them to board.

"Okay Commander Min, that's everything. You have 15 minutes until your launch slot but radio through as soon as you're ready"

"Thank you Corporal"

As soon as they leave, the pilot presses the call button on the panel next to the doors. Through them Taehyung watches as a platform sinks down,  bringing the ship down with it, and airlock doors seal over the top of the bay. After a few seconds pause the light switches from red to green to alert them that the pressure has equalised. Yoongi opens the doors before them and steps up to the now lowered ramp on the underbelly of the ship.

Taehyung just stares. 

The [ship](http://i.imgur.com/SlYa8Mr.jpg) is a sleek grey thing, shaped similarly to a plane on Earth except with shorter, more angular wings. He can also see that it's split into two decks, the lower likely holding storage and engineering quarters and the upper their living spaces and the cockpit. He'd been on short space flights during training on these kind of ships but none of them had been as sleek, _beautiful_  as the one now sat before them. Most of the training craft were bulky, dirty grey metal that held just enough of a rattle to make people worry at high speeds.

"Wow..."

"Come on Kim"

Commander Min is smiling at him from the ramp and to his right Hoseok wraps an arm over his shoulders to lead him up into the cargo bay. The airlock doors slide shut behind them with a hiss. They walk past rows of crates, through a set of internal doors and into the engineering bay where all of the ships power, communication and life support systems are housed. He's then steered up an small flight of stairs to the second deck. The ship is indeed almost brand new.

"Welcome to Cypher 4 Ki- Taehyung"

He whirls around to face the Commander "There's four of these ships?!" 

At this the pilot scratches his neck almost guiltily "Well no...this is just the fourth version of this particular ship"

Taehyung just knows there's a story behind why the Commander has had four ships and if his actions mean anything then he most likely is the reason that they're on the fourth version of his ship. He doesn't say it out loud, just raises an eyebrow in question.

"First one I bent up _slightly_ coming in to dock at SOL because I was a tad too excited by its abilities, the other two got shot up by pirates but I then also forced it to the nearest station rather than wait for assistance which just made the damage worse"  

"Oh"

"Yeah I'm surprised they still let me pilot solo to be honest" He huffs out a laugh "Anyway, go and stow your shit quickly then come straight to the 'pit for launch"

"Yes Commander"

Taehyung hurries through a generously sized living space and kitchen that puts the one in his apartment to shame, towards the rooms at the rear of the ship. Of the four available rooms, one door is already ajar and inside he can see Seokjin stowing his belongings away. The room reminds him of those at the academy with two bunks set into the wall, storage units opposite them and a door at the very back of the room that no doubt leads to a shared bathroom with shower. Evidently, this particular ship has the capability for up to eight crew members at the expense of having windows in the rooms.

"Taehyung I hope you don't mind but you're with Hobi in the next room"

"Thank you Commander" he nods and turns to leave until he remembers something "Um Jin? How come there's only of us on an eight crew ship?"

Everything Taehyung had been told during his training essentially said that crew were sent on the smallest ship possible to maximise Federation resources and having eight bunks for four crew quite clearly didn't reflect maximisation of resources.

"Yoongi normally runs longer missions with more crew or he does rotation swaps for stations where this amount of crew are needed but I think this time around it was a case of they needed a pilot to run myself and Hoseok out to the station and he just happened to be available" the elder pauses "Yeah he normally does full crew swaps of stations and stuff but we're only being posted this time because two crew members on the target station are sick and need to return to Earth."

"Oh...it didn't say that in briefing report"

The medic pulls a face "Because under Federation rules it isn't classed as something that you need to know but it's not like it'll hurt you to know so" then he shrugs.

Taehyung nods then turns to his own room, hurriedly throwing his bag into a locker and sealing the door. He'll have to deal with it later after they've entered hyperspace because the clock is ticking down to launch.

"Sorry Commander, Commander Kim was talking to me" he slides into the co-pilot seat next to Yoongi and picks up the navigation plan from the panel in front of them. The pilot is running through a pre-flight checklist, muttering to himself as he tests controls and levers, checking each dial is set to default correctly. 

"Kid relax, you don't have to use ranks here among us" he passes the navigation plan to Taehyung "As soon as we're clear from the hangar doors I need to set a waypoint so be ready for that"

"Yes Commander"

He gets a pointed look in return that is interrupted by the entry of the rest of their crew and then Yoongi is opening the comms "SOL this is Cypher-IC-04 requesting permission to launch"

" _Cypher-IC-04 permission granted"_

"Lets go everybody"

The pilot flips a switch and engines come to life with a rumble that has Taehyung grinning from ear to ear. He's finally made it to his dream. Another switch is flipped and the ship rises smoothly into the main hangar area of the station. All around them, ships are moving around to various bays and there in front of them is the aptly named letterbox.

_Docking clamps released_

Slowly Yoongi eases on the vertical thrust whilst Taehyung keeps an eye out for any potentially hazardous ships that may be flying too close. Seconds later, the main engines kick in with a louder rumble and then the ship is moving forwards towards the exit, skilled hands rolling steadily until they're at the same angle as the exit. Out of the corner of his eye Taehyung sees Hoseok cringe when they pass through the letterbox and then Seokjin is laughing out loud.

"You do that everytime Hobi"

"It looked like we were going to lose our roof for sure!"

_"Cypher-IC-04 please clear mass lock as quickly as possible, have a safe journey"_

"Affirmative SOL, out" he closes the comms almost immediately "Taehyung get me those coordinates now"

_Frame shift drive charging._

_Frame shift drive charged._

_Entering supercruise in_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_

"Commander pitch up to bearing of 183" the movement is smooth under the Commanders hands "2....1...stop pitch, now roll 15 degrees to port"

Taehyung keeps his eyes on the star chart on his lap as he gives instructions, allowing his eyes to flick up to the compass every so often "Stop roll, Ithaca system is dead ahead we are clear to hyperspace"

_Frame shift drive charging._

_Frame shift drive charged._

"If we miss the star Kim I'm going to kill you with my bare hands"

_Entering hyperspace jump in_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all I've been playing Elite so much because of this, I love pretending to be a space ship commander.
> 
> Yes, I know I said I wouldn't update much because of exams but it turns out this is a great way to switch off from revision and also I'm so damn inspired now that I'm writing actual space stuff.
> 
> The music I listened to on repeat to write this if you guys want some mood setting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdUVQ_LLu34&list=PLNe6ovCWsuOW7o0_XvD9q1S0-IdWTsvqH
> 
> Enjoy :)

 

 

 

There's a moment of rapid acceleration from the ship and then, much like regular planes back on Earth, everything goes very calm and still. If it wasn't for the visible movement of stars and nebulae that Taehyung could see he would have been sure that the ship wasn't actually moving at all.

"Kim what's our time to Ithaca?"

"About six hours Commander"

"Since one of us has to be in the cockpit at all times I'll do the first shift and let you catch a couple hours of sleep" the pilot turns in his seat to address the pair behind him "As we're now flying you're completely free until we reach the target station but make sure you buckle down when we go in and out of jumps"

For a second Taehyung feels anxiety start to creep up on him when he looks across the glowing orange panels. He would be in charge of the flight. Alone while the Commander most likely _sleeps_ and if anything goes wrong it would be down to him to sort it.

"Kim don't worry, you've trained for this"  the Commander has now turned fully to face him "Every pilot starts off as a nav, that's why you were taught basic flight at the Academy. You know how to do this"

When he stands up to leave, Taehyung catches a glimpse of Hoseok waiting on the other side of the cockpit doors. The red hed only quirks an eyebrow when he steps out of the cockpit.

"Old man Yoongles giving you the whole 'you were trained for this' talk?"

Taehyung snorts "Yoongles?"

Besidehim, Hoseok bursts into laughter and starts walking to their room. Taehyung jogs to catch up,  the action reminding him of back ay the shuttle bay. Back on Earth. He pushes the thoughts of Earth and Jungkook down.

"No seriously _Yoongles_?"

"We call him that because he hates it. I say we, I'm the only one" he pushes the door to their shared room open to throw himself dramatically onto the lower bunk "For real though, do you think you'll do your pilot training or not?"

Taehyung closes the door carefully behind him as he considers the question "I never really thought exactly about what I wanted to do in the Federation, I just wanted to be involved in space" he shrugs slightly sheepishly "Mostly I only chose nav because it's what I showed aptitude for and I thought it would make my parents proud"

There's a shuffling sound and when Taehyung turns around again from the shelves, Hoseok is looking at him with an unreadable expression "And are they?"

"No"

Hoseok looks like he's about to say something along the lines of doing what makes him happy but Taehyung cuts him off.

"I didn't really enjoy the basic flight training that navigators have to do anyway so honestly I think I'll probably stay as a navigator. Important role but less pressure to be a total leader of a crew"

The younger boy rushes into the shared bathroom before anything else can be said, the click of the lock loud in the silence following his admission. His parents weren't proud of his decision. Aren't proud of him even now. He supposes at least Jungkook is proud of him and has been so encouraged him to get this far.

Jungkook. He should probably use the holocall now that he's got a break and check in on the other. This is his last chance to contact the other before the time between starts to differentiate between them and he knows that the barista will be upset about not getting to say goodbye in person. Their shuttle left at seven and they arrived SOL around two hours later, plus the hour they spent in the canteen onboard SOL until they could actually leave. So right about now Taehyung makes it 10pm in Korea. Ish. They've already entered hyperspace so probably not.

Taehyung washes up hurriedly, all too aware that it could already be some unholy hour in Korea and he's just about to call Jungkook as if he didn't leave with nothing left but a scrawled out note. Hoseok doesn't look up when he exits the bathroom, now completely focused on a book in his hands.

"Um...I'm just gonna call my roommate if that's okay...?"

Is it okay? Should Taehyung really just tell his senior that he's going to call or should he have asked first? Fuck, what if Hoseok wants to sleep right now?

"Sure thing" the red head sits up quickly and strides over to grab his stuff "I'm going to take a shower so don't rush okay?"

With that, Taehyung is left alone in the room. He takes a seat tentatively at the desk and powers on the monitor there. He hasn't made a holocall since their very basic training back at the Academy nearly two years ago and he's not entirely sure how it works with the whole space-time difference. A bright blue screen with the Federation logo is the first thing to load and Taehyung logs in to the system only to be met with options ranging from _Log a complaint_ to _Review mission briefing._

The fuck kind of complaints do people have on an actual posting?

For some reason, communications is the very last option on the screen and Taehyung clicks on it then selects holocall from the next menu. Thankfully, the number for the TV in their apartment is already saved to his log in so he only has to select that. The screen is then filled with a pop up that informs Taehyung that he needs to record a message and press send, and that a reply will be sent to his account that he'll be able to access at any time. A small red light comes on next to the built in camera.

What a dumb system. Fake holocall. Real holocalls connect two people on Earth in real time, except they could choose to have a hologram projected instead of a flat on-screen image, provided they have the projector properly installed. At least he knows how it works now. 

 Taehyung sits for a second and then presses record.

.

.

.

.

.

Jungkook wakes up to the TV on the wall making a _ping_ sound that indicates there's a message waiting to be read. He groans at the disruption and then winces when moving tugs painfully on his neck and shoulders. Apparently he fell asleep on the sofa at some point during his pity party last night.

_08:47  You have 1 unread message._

Sitting up slowly, he reaches for the remote and hits accept for the message. Taehyung's face fills the screen with a slightly nervous smile on his lips.

 _"Hey um Kook...it's me"_ the older boy sounds nervous. It shows when he runs a hand through his hair and tousles the strands, looking away from the camera and letting out a frustrated breath at himself.

 _"I don't really know what to say other than I'm still alive, my crew are really nice and I miss you. I mean, it's been less than an hour since we launched from SOL so nothing much has happened"_ he trails off then flashes a smile _"I hope you're okay, don't forget I'll be home soon!"_

Jungkook feels his heart tug painfully at the site of a smile that doesn't reach the other boy's eyes and the forced happiness in his voice. Just then Taehyung looks at something past the camera and Jungkook hears something that sounds like " _don't rush because of me_ ".

_"Anyway my roommate is back now so I have to go, message me back soon yeah? Bye!"_

There's a sound of protest from the background but the feed cuts off immediately after.

_Would you like to send a reply?_

Jungkook presses yes on the remote before moving more to the middle of the sofa where the camera is set to. He takes a moment to think before recording however. Something is definitely bothering the other that he's quite clearly trying to stop Jungkook from knowing or worrying about. 

"Hey Tae, I miss you too - you launched less than an hour ago and yet it's eight am here already" he pouts slightly for effect "I'm worried about how few messages you're going to send when you get further away since it'll only feel like hours have gone for you"

His fingers start to twist together as he thinks over what else to say. There's so much he wants to say but none of it sounds right over a pre-recorded message, not when it's stuff he's wanted to tell Taehyung in person for weeks. Maybe months. Jungkook just settles for cutting the whole message short.

"I'm glad things are okay for you...I have to go now but you better send me another message as soon as you can. I need to know that you haven't died out there" he makes sure to laugh and force a wider smile so that Taehyung knows it's only in jest. Or at least so the elder only thinks it's in jest, whether or not it actually is a joke is something Jungkook doesn't want to think about.

"Bye Tae, speak soon"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> REPOSTED WITH SLIGHTLY REVISED PLOT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *me beating characters happiness with a stick* BACK BACK BACK  
> No really, read them tags and don't get attached to anyone who isn't BTS okay?
> 
> Here's the music that I played on repeat whilst writing this chapter too (the first song on the playlist is the music from last chapter but damn do I love this playlist) https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNe6ovCWsuOW7o0_XvD9q1S0-IdWTsvqH
> 
> PO stands for Planetary Orbital - as in a station that orbits a planet. The 10-04 obviously means Cheonsa among the crew but officially it's just an identifier.
> 
> Enjoy this significantly longer than usual chapter :)

 

 

 

"We'll drop out of hyperspace in 5 minutes Commander"

"Thank you Kim"

Taehyung looks down at the navigation plan for one last time before they reach the target station. Over the course of the last few days they'd managed to complete the jumps to Ithaca, Denebolun, Tjurinas and Tau Ceti under the combined command of both Taehyung and Yoongi. Now the pair are preparing for the last drop into the Pangluya system where  they will then have to navigate to the station where they'll then drop Seokjin and Hoseok off. And then they would go home.

The thought of home is already making Taehyung upset and it's been less than a week.

_Preparing to exit hyperspace._

_Drop out of hyperspace in_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_

The sudden deceleration throws them against the seat harnesses and suddenly a star is filling the view before them.

_Temperature alert._

Yoongi smoothly rolls the ship so that they're flying away from the star until the alert disappears. He reaches a hand up to the comms panel and diverts the channel to the known frequency for the station.

_"PO-10-04 this is Cypher-IC-04, we have entered the Pangluya system and will be with you shortly"_

The cockpit remains silent.

"They could be blocked by a planet or the star - Kim get us on their orbit for approach"

Taehyung does just that, watching as the compass rotates slowly and the ship manoeuvres under steady hands. God Taehyung still thinks the Commander's flying is like art. The station slowly comes into view at the very top of their gaze until Yoongi dips the pitch down to settle on the orbit path.

" _Planetary Orbital -10-04 this is Federation Vessel Cypher-IC-04 do you copy?"_

The slight burst of static seems to mock them.

The pilot's voice rises slightly in pitch when he tries again _"Cheonsa this is Cypher please respond"_

"Commander -" Taehyung can feel the fear clawing at him already when he sees the station beginning to drift across to their right, moving closer into their field of view as it does so.

"Kim I don't know what's wrong" the Commander snaps at him "Jung, run a scan across all radio frequencies for any output from the station"

"Comm-"

"Kim I said I don't know what's wrong"

"-ander the station isn't on it's correct orbit"

Sure enough, the rest of the crew turn to look at the station that has managed to reach a position just above eye level at a 2 o'clock to the ship's current position. It's one of the older type stations with a central section for landing a ship on and housing vital systems, with arms protruding off it for different areas such as a medical bay, living quarters and command centre. Even from their distance Taehyung can see that one of the arms is quite clearly missing.

The pilot swears colourfully. Behind him, Seokjin gasps. 

Yoongi veers the ship off course towards the station "Jung send a transmission out to all nearby stations, both surface and orbital, Kim and Kim go and prepare to treat any casualties on the station. I'll join you as soon as we've landed if it's safe to do so but if we're unable to dock I'll let you know"

"Yes Commander" Seokjin and Hoseok reply as they stand up, the medic grabbing Taehyung's arm and pulling him from the cockpit as he does so.

"Jin what's happened why are they-"

"Tae I don't know either, okay, but I need you to stay calm and follow my lead" the older man looks into his eyes with understanding, a hand squeezing his shoulder gently "Just remember your training Tae"

They head down to the storage bay where spacesuits and medical packs are hanging on the wall next to the loading ramp. Seokjin grabs two packs and hands one to Taehyung just as the ship jolts on the change from normal engines to vertical thrust. He reaches into a nearby locker and takes three in-ear radios out, turning them on and handing one over. Seconds drag by until the sound of metal locking around the ship is heard, followed by a high-pitched mechanical whine as the ship sinks into the docking bay inside the station. When the noise stops a green light flashes above the ramp controls.

"At least the airlock doors have worked"

"The nearest station to us is in the Kaura system but there's a ship apparently arriving here soon that has advanced medical facilities"

Seokjin nods with Hoseok's words when the other joins them "That's good...Yoongi coming too?"

"He's staying to watch the scanners" the red head takes the medical pack from Taehyung as he speaks, his mouth is set in a line that looks out of place on someone usually so excited by everything about life "Tae's under orders to assist us instead of work alone"

And before Taehyung can brace himself for whatever they're about to find on the station, the pair start down the ramp.

The first thing that Taehyung notices is the sheer amount of destruction before them. Even here in the docking bay storage cabinets, loading trolleys and all manner of assorted items are scattered across the floor, so much so that Taehyung is a little impressed that the ship was even able to descend into the station. When they move down the stairs into the central section the destruction is worse. Items from the docking bay have apparently shifted down the stairs as well, adding to the mess from all of the stations vital systems. 

It's the pained whimpers coming from within a pile of metal that have Taehyung freezing.

Seokjin rushes immediately over the pile, searching frantically for a sign of someone among it whilst Hoseok checks each arm of the ship. At the end of each arm airlock doors stand closed to protect against depressurisation and Taehyung feels his eyes drawn to the empty space behind one set of doors. An empty space, where a vital part of the station used to be, now filled with a view of a distant nebula. 

"Taehyung!"

The medic is knelt next to a young looking boy with pinchable cheeks, pretty eyes and _oh god_ , there's blood everywhere. Taehyung's breath catches at the sight of Seokjin with his hands pressed firmly onto the boy's stomach, red streaking onto the gauze, over gloves and on his arms and tries to look at anything else. Instead he sees the S _GT YOO YJ_ badge on the other's uniform, yellow band around it signifying that he works in the intelligence and research sector. There's blood on the badge too.

"Taehyung listen to me"

Underneath him the sergeant shifts "Please check Daehyun" his eyes roll back in his head and a pained noise works its way from his throat "Please he won't..won't talk to me"

"Youngjae please stop moving, Taehyung I need you to assess Daehyun for me" the medic doesn't look up.

"B-but you're the medic...?"

"Tae you just need to check for injuries so I can figure out how we're going to do this" Seokjin's voice has taken on the gentle tone that he uses whenever he's trying to convince Taehyung of something, the one that reminds Taehyung that he's done training and is capable. The radio in his ear comes to life with a burst of static and Hoseok's voice relaying information  _"Commander, I can see two crew in the med bay who are presumably the ones we came to relieve from duty, Corporal Moon and Leading Sergeant Kim. There's no sign of Commander Bang or Cadet Choi at all so it can be assumed they were in the command centre when it was knocked from the station"_

"Okay" his voice feels small and choked off but robotically his limbs are moving around the pair to where he can see an arm sticking out from the pile of metal. Carefully, he slides under a crushed trolley alongside the prone figure, dragging the medical pack with him. 

_"Are you able to reach the med bay at all?"_

_"No the doors are jammed...We need the ship from Kaura as soon as Commander - two trapped in the med bay and one pinned under some debris"_

 

There's barely any room for Taehyung to move and the only reason this even feels real is because of the rushing in his head, adrenaline pumping rapidly. Everything almost feels hyper realistic to the point of being fake. Everything becomes very real when he moves Daehyun's head back to access his pulse point. Blood is caked over most of the others face but it's the broken moan that tears straight through Taehyung. The other's eyes flutter behind closed lids and each breath is more of a gasp than anything else.

_"Assistance is still twenty minutes out, do you know the condition of the two in the med bay?"_

_"Negative Commander"_

Taehyung reaches into the pack for a torch then clicks it on. The space glows immediately with harsh white light, burning the image into his eyes. Daehyun is lying on his back with his right arm stretched through the same gap the navigator is now lying in, warped metal pressing down on his chest and sides. With both his legs and left arm hidden from view by wreckage Taehyung can only assume the damage done to them under the weight of fallen cabinets. Taehyung swallows when he sees the blood matted in the his hair until the sight of shredded fabric around a metal bar catches his eye, the end of it disappearing beyond the fabric into Daehyun's chest.

"No, no no no - Jin no I can't, fuck" Taehyung starts to scramble backwards from under the wreckage, throwing himself away from the situation.

"Taehyung what's up? Talk to me Tae, what is it?" The medics words buzz as white noise around him, blending with Youngjae's pleading but Taehyung can't focus on them, can only see Daehyun's broken body and blood, so much blood. Someone's hands land on his shoulders, stopping him from falling -wait, when did he even stand up?- and then Hoseok is there, crowding his vision.

"Tae look at me -  _look at me_ , it's okay" the red head is holding his arm firmly even as Taehyung's knees sag further "Can you stay strong for us Tae? I need you to do something important"

Taehyung squeezes his eyes shut as he lets himself be led back over to the wreckage, breathing starting to calm down somewhat from Hoseok's gentle words. He sinks to the floor beside Youngjae and watches as Hoseok switches places with the medic. Donning a pair of gloves, Hoseok takes over pressing on Youngjae's stomach.

Seokjins voice is soft when he speaks to the younger, who's panicked mind doesn't even notice the way he's being spoken to like a small child in need of comfort during a crisis "Tae hold Youngjae's hand for me, you need to make sure he stays conscious for me. Do you think you can do that? Keep talking to him?"

The boy nods, squeezes the hand of the injured man in front of him. He gets a weak squeeze back at least. Seokjin moves to aid Daehyun until all Taehyung can see is the Commanders boots. 

"We're going to die aren't we?" Youngjae doesn't sound afraid of the idea but his speech is starting to slur dangerously and it sounds like each breath is beginning to take more and more effort "Kaura's only thir-ty minutes from here but it must have...already been thirty since the...impact and Dae won't make it that long w-will he?"

"What do you mean impact?" it's Hoseok who speaks up, voice going sharp at the mention of any threats.

"Shifted...asteroid field, we took a hit - lost the command centre and our gra...gravity messed up for a while, hence the chaos in here" Youngjae lets his eyes fall closed "Now there's _ah..._ glass in my stomach and I'm gonna, _shit,_ bleed out before...you can help me"

The medic shuffles back out with a solemn expression before kneeling down next to them, Youngjae opening his eyes again when he feels the tug on his hand "Daehyun's gone, I'm sorry Youngjae" 

Youngjae only nods, face crumpling slightly as he closes his eyes. He starts whispering something that sounds like an apology and a tear slides across his cheek, cutting a clear trail through the faint layer of  _whatever_ on his cheek. All of a sudden, Taehyung's throat feels very small and his eyes very hot. 

Hoseok's voice is low when he speaks so as to not disturb Youngjae "Commander we may as well prepare to move back to the ship, we can't get into the med bay without machinery"

The medic nods and reaches into the medical pack for more gauze to tape around the wound on the man's stomach, gently removing the already soaked ones

**WARNING. PROXIMITY ALERT.**

The booming voice and strobing red light has them all looking up quickly, Taehyung feeling his blood run cold in realisation.

_"Guys you need to get back to the ship asap, we've entered the asteroid field" - fuck it's moving fast"_

Seokjin pulls a stretcher from the medical pack and hurriedly unfolds it. 

"Youngjae this is going to hurt. Tae when we roll him you need to slide the stretcher under"

The man only nods, eyes closing in preparation. With a nod to Hoseok the pair take a firm hold of the uniform on his torso, ensuring they won't jostle the injury too much.

**WARNING. PROXIMITY ALERT.**

"What about the crew in the medical bay?"

"Taehyung we don't have the equipment or time to unjam the doors"

"But they-"

"No" Seokjin's voice holds no room for disagreement "We have an urgent patient and proximity warnings, if we pass through the asteroid field safely we can come back for the crew but I am not risking all of our lives. Now, on three""

Taehyung watches as Hoseok braces his arms ready to lift and Youngjae bites into his lip from the slight movement. He feels slightly sick knowing that they're about to seriously hurt, maybe even further injure, the other man.

"One, two, three"

It's hardly proper handling, evident when Youngjae almost screams at the rapid movement. But, it does get the job over quickly and within seconds the medic's hands are checking over the gauze and then they're standing. Taehyung trips over his own feet when he grabs the two medical packs, standing quickly to follow the other two back to their ship.

**WARNING. PROXIMITY ALERT.**

Together, they rush up the stairs.  Youngjae keeps making small pained whimpers with each jolt of the stretcher which do nothing to slow them down. Adrenaline is starting to make Taehyung feel dizzy- the thought of them being so close to another impact, so close to depressurisation and then death in the vacuum of space, isn't helping matters but somehow his feet are working. Somehow they make it to the ship and up the lowered ramp into the storage bay.

**WARNING. IMPACT IMMINENT.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate splitting chapters up in the middle like this but otherwise I was gonna end up with a monstrous chapter.
> 
> So here's part 2 of the station drama (if you haven't reread chapter 8 since I reposted it then maybe you should just because I changed a few smol things.  
> Oh yeah, I'm not a medical professional or an expert on space so I'm writing this with entirely artistic licence.
> 
> Please comment it makes me really happy to read what you think (yes, even if you hate it because I'm always trying to improve).  
> I'm serious if you didn't listen to the playlist from last chapter then you're missing out on some mood setting not only for these chapters but this entire fic.

 

 

 

**WARNING. IMPACT IMMINENT.**

Taehyung slams his hand down on the ramp closure button, does so repeatedly in fact until he hears the locking mechanism in them close. The alarm is still blaring outside although it's quickly drowned out by the sound of the ships engines.

_"I'm going to clear us of the asteroid field, stabilise Yoo until hand off with the ship from Kaura"_

The sound of harsh breaths fills the cargo bay, and the scale of what's just happened hits Taehyung like a train. He slumps down against the now closed ramp to land heavily on the floor and lets his head fall past his knees. Blood is starting to dry on his hand already and his legs are shaking uncontrollably so Taehyung tries to take deep breaths, fighting the urge to throw up or pass out. They couldn't save Daehyun. He's dead, Daehyun is dead and they just left two other crew for dead. They left them, on a station in an asteroid field, and they could be dead by now.

 _"Kim join me in the 'pit now"_ the pilot sounds tense, afraid even.

Taehyung's not sure what he expects when he enters the cockpit less than a minute later but he's certain that he hadn't expected to see asteroids moving so quickly just beyond the glass. Then he hears the proximity alarm, a high pitched beep every few seconds when an asteroid gets close, only to cut out when Yoongi deftly manoeuvres the ship away.

"Kim get the map and direct me to Kaura now, we have to at least be on path for the incoming ship"

The navigator slides into his seat and tries to ignore each beep from the control panel in front of him. Except, they seem to be getting more frequent. Another beep startles Taehyung from his observation. Already his heart rate is starting to rise, fear creeping back in again (surely he had to be running out of adrenaline soon). If only he could actually see any other stars to navigate from.

"Anytime soon"

"Commander I can't" He looks around wildly trying to find a constellation, anything, to get a marker from "I can't find anything to work from"

Yoongi only hums an affirmation then flicks a switch.

_Frame shift drive charging._

"What are you doing?"

"The first star we get a look on we're gonna jump to it"

_Frame shift  drive charged._

"But Youngj-"

"The field is getting harder to navigate Taehyung" as if to prove a point, the ship takes several fast movements between a series of asteroids "We just have to get away"

"You already left two crew for dead, Youngjae needs help! He could die! Don't you get that?!" Taehyung knows his voice is rising to hysterical at this point but he can't rationalise the death of another person. He needs to save _someone_ because he failed Daehyun. The pilot however doesn't even look at him, just continues keeping the ship safe whilst looking for any way out.

"Kim I get it very much in deed but what you are failing to see is that I have three crew who I am responsible for as well" the older man is yelling at him now "Don't you have people that you want to see again?"

Jungkook.

"I can't risk you guys getting hurt or killed but Youngjae...he won't make it to the other ship based on his injuries'

Taehyung slumps and the Commander looks away sadly. He didn't mean to be so harsh on the younger boy but he'd seen the fear and determination before. He'd seen whole crews be killed for the sake of trying to help one more person and he wasn't about to make mistakes like that again.

"There"

The star is faint but at  they have a clear space from asteroids, at least enough to get them into a jump and safely away. If they don't do this Taehyung knows he could never see Jungkook again, a thought that makes his heart tug uncomfortably. But Youngjae....won't survive his injuries, won't make it to the inbound ship. _Youngjae might not survive if you all risk your lives, but you'll live if you make the jump._ Taehyung's hand shakes when he flicks the frame shift drive on.

_Entering hyperspace in_

_4_

"Come on, come on"

_3_

The countdown to hyperspace never felt so long to Taehyung, never has been this long has it? The sight of a singular asteroid moving faster than the rest in his peripheral vision has him closing his eyes. They're gonna make it.   
  
2  
  
They have to make it.

 _1  
  
_ He feels a brief moment of relief in the split second that the ship begins to accelerate and then the moment is shattered when the ship is knocked sideways with the sound of an explosion.  
  
**ASTEROID IMPACT. EMERGENCY DROP FROM HYPERSPACE.**  
  
Taehyung's vaguely aware of the commander spitting curses beside him, hearing alarms and warnings even as the ship continues to shake. In his ear, Seokjin and Hoseok are yelling both at Youngjae, at the pilot, at anything that might answer them.  
  
They're going die. He's going to die in space and never see Jungkook again.  
  
_Frame shift drive in emergency cool down - cannot charge._  
  
"Mayday mayday all stations this is Cypher-IC-04. Asteroid impact, major damage sustained, casualties on board. Mayday mayday - please respond"  
  
Taehyung feels like a small child again, back on the earth planes when they experience turbulence, body pressed fully back in his seat and nails digging into the arm rests. Each breath is starting to drag through his lungs painfully.  
  
"Cypher this is Federation Vessel NCT-AN-18 from system Kaura we are nine minutes from your location, can you supercruise?"  
  
"Negative - FSD is in emergency cool down"  
  
Another harsh beep has Taehyung bracing for an impact that doesn't come. His rational thought seems to have taken a holiday back to Earth.  
  
_Frame shift drive charging._  
  
"Oh thank fuck for that"  
  
_Frame shift drive charged._  
  
_Entering supercruise in_

_4_

_3_

_2_

_1_  
  
Somehow the ship makes it to supercruise, albeit with some concerning rattling noises. Yoongi ignores these noises, focusing instead on safely moving through the asteroid field. Taehyung tries to convince himself that the pilot knows how to deal with this and that he is very capable of dealing with it.  
  
**ASTEROID IMPACT.**  
**MAJOR SYSTEMS DAMAGE - DIVERT POWER TO ESSENTIAL SYSTEMS.**  
  
Most of the panels in front of them go dark. The younger looks out at the space before them, asteroids now vanishing rapidly off to their left as the ship floats unrestrained through space, powered by its own momentum.  
  
"Commander...What counts as essential system?"  
   
"Uh life support, pressure maintenance, engine cooling and power for living based on this"  
  
He pushes a few controls at random as if one of them might suddenly work. As of something might stop their rapid exit from the star system.  
  
"It was a big hit - we've lost flight capability, engines and comms. Unless the Kaura ship gets here soon we're going to be floating until me meet another ship"  
  
Seokjin and Hoseok barrel into the cockpit demanding answers only to stop dead when they see the darkness. A tear rolls down Taehyung's cheek and he looks out at the rapidly vanishing Pangluya system, praying that the crew on Cheonsa are found by the rescue ship at least. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm looking for some fic recommendations (BTS, Vixx, Monsta X or B.A.P) that are preferably a few thousand words long. Also there isn't any comtent that i won't read so hit me up. Please help, I need something to occupy my time whilst I'm wallowing in bed because I can't bring myself to get up.
> 
> I'm still writing this regularly but chapters are taking longer now because I'm being more picky over the content. Chapters are also getting longer so that's something I guess.
> 
> I say this every time but whether you love it or hate it I wanna read some comments :)

 

 

 

"Ah I'm looking for a Jeon Jungkook"

Jungkook had been happy to see the Federation uniform through the glass on the door, expecting news that Taehyung is on the return journey to Earth, until he is met by an unsmiling sergeant. In any other circumstance he might have blushed being confronted by the man with squish able cheeks and soft blond hair, instead he feels dread settle into his stomach at the others expression.

"Yes" his mouth feels stuffed full of cotton and the man hasn't said anything "That's me"

"Mr Jeon-"

"Jungkook"

"Jungkook, is there somewhere we can sit down?"

Sit down. He wants to sit down. That means bad news. Bad news. Bad news. Bad news bad news bad news bad ne-

"Jungkook?"

"A-ah yes this way" he steps back to allow the other in "Sit anywhere, please"

The blond looks around a little uncomfortably, shifting from one foot to the other before taking the hat from his head. He stays standing until Jungkook gestures at the sofa across from them where he then settles on the edge of the seat. Jungkook mirrors his position the other sofa.

"Jungkook I'm Sergeant Park Jimin, a navigator at the Federation, and I'm here regarding Cadet Kim Taehyung's posting as you're registered next of kin" Sergeant Park meets his eyes but Jungkook can't decipher the emotions that he finds. It only makes him more nervous "Yesterday at 10:47 am Korean Earth Time contact was lost with the ship Cypher-IC-04 just hours after a report on a damaged station was made following the shift of an asteroid field in the Pangluya system"

Suddenly the barista finds himself engrossed in the pattern on the apartments floor, willing Park to stop talking. This can't be happening. Taehyung is going to return home in 3 months time and tell him all about his trip.

"Jungkook...The crew are currently unaccounted for and we at the Federation have no way of knowing if they're even alive"

"Why are you telling me?"

"I'm sorry..?"

"If you don't know then they could still be alive" now Jungkook is the one who meets the Sergeants gaze, anger burning within his eyes "You're just a sergeant how can I believe this when you can't tell me for sure?!"

"It's just a presumption based on data we've received abo-"

"BUT YOU DON'T KNOW" Jungkook all but screams at the other man who stands up quickly with him,  arms held out in what Jungkook guesses is supposed to be a placating manner.

"Mr Jeon please calm down"

"IT CAN'T BE TRUE YOU DON'T KNOW THAT" Heat prickles behind his eyelids and each breath seems to be more laboured and rapid than the last. Taehyung has to come back. He has to, it's only a short posting. He can't be gone. Taehyung no. Taehyung. Not coming home. Presumed dead. Dead. Dead. Taehyung dead.

Somehow the other man has gotten closer him and now has his hands resting gently on Jungkook’s arms, pushing him back to the sofa. The fight leaves Jungkook almost as quickly as it appeared, with realisation that the Federation wouldn't have sent someone to tell him if they were not confident in the answer. Despite being yelled at the Sergeant's voice is still calm and soft. "Mr Jeon, Jungkook, please just sit down"

His legs finally hit the fabric of the sofa and Jungkook sinks down as a tear escapes to run down his cheek.

"I'm sorry that I have to tell you this but please just try to breathe" Jungkook takes one deep, shuddering breath before Park continues "Ships are being mobilised to search for them and as we're not sure if the ship is able to receive communications so, once a month, next of kin will be invited to send a video message to them using facilities at the Academy"

"Tell me"

"I'm sorry Mr Jeon I don't quite understand..?"

Jungkook looks up pleadingly "Tell me what happened to their ship, please"

The sergeant disappears into the kitchen and Jungkook hears the sound of water filling the kettle, then the clinking of mugs after it's turned on. He comes back minutes later with two mugs of tea and an apologetic smile.

"Sorry to intrude but I think you need this" he sets the mug down in front of Jungkook. Taehyung's favourite, he notes. Bright green with the cartoon lion on it in an awful colour combination. 

"Taehyung was posted as the navigator of a ship taking two relief crew to a station in the Pangluya system after two crew onboard fell ill. The ship arrived in the system and discovered that the station was both off course and damaged, at which point an emergency was called. From what we know, the station had been struck by an asteroid which removed the command centre and resulted in two crew going missing, as well as knocking the station onto a different orbital path"

Jungkook takes a sip of tea when the man pauses, trying to process the information. How would Taehyung have felt as they approached an unresponsive station that was quite visibly damaged? He knew the elder boy didn't deal well with blood or injury, nevermind if he had to then carry out a search of the station.

"The ships crew including Taehyung then boarded and found four crew members - two injured and two trapped in the med bay under heavy sedation. During attempts to stabilise the two they could reach the station reentered the asteroid field. Taehyung's crew were forced to leave all but one crew member behind and return to the ship. SOL station was tracking the vessel as it launched and data shows an impact was made, knocking the ship from hyperspace. The ship was tracked for three minutes by a nearby response vessel until it disappeared from scanners - this is where it's believed the ship was struck by another asteroid that caused it to be pushed away from the star at high speeds"

Oh god, how many people would be affected by this? Six station crew plus the ship's crew.

"How many people..?" he trails off,  unsure what exactly he wants to know the answer to.

Park seems to understand and answers quickly "Commander Bang and Cadet Choi are the two missing crew from the station, Sergeant Jung died from his injuries before they returned to the ship, Sergeant Yoo was taken onboard the ship and is now treated as missing along with Commander Min, Commander Kim, Sergeant Jung and Cadet Kim. As for the two in the medbay...Leading Sergeant Kim and Corporal Moon were found by the response vessel and are heading back to Earth now"

A sniff fills the silence and Jungkook looks up quickly to see the Sergeant staring at the floor with tears threatening to spill from his eyes. Suddenly Taehyung's mentions of a Sergeant Park who he had to replace and, Min Yoongi who seemed fond of the Sergeant, the slight hitch in his voice when he'd said the names of the missing crew makes sense.

"You were meant to be on the ship instead of Taehyung"

The other drops his gaze away from Jungkook. The younger boy kind of wants to laugh because _of course_. Of _fucking course_ Taehyung gets called last minute onto a voyage that ends in disaster. 

"I'm sorry Jungkook...in ten days time I'll be joining a search and rescue vessel being sent to look for Cypher"

"But it should have been you" Jungkook’s voice is barely a growl anymore. The barista stands up quickly and starts forcing Jimin to the door "It should have been you! Get out of my apartment, our apartment"

Jimin struggles against him but still finds himself being shoved through the door "Jungkook please calm down and listen to me"

"You should be the one lost in space not him!"

The door slams in Jimin's face before he can say anything else to the distraught boy. He takes a second where thoughts clamour for attention. Should he go back in? Yell at the boy? Walk away?

 _"It should have been you!"_ The shout echoes in his mind.

Eventually, he lets his hand fall away from the door frame and casts a final glance back as he walks off.

"You're right,  it should be me on that ship"


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Should I write a Yoonmin version of this story that has things from their perspective (plus their backstory) or nah??  
> Researching smoke flares had my parents really confused so I guess it's a good job I do photography right?
> 
> Thanks for the support with writing this :) I love reading comments that you guys post!
> 
> (Also if you haven't checked out the video that this fic is based on please do, it's such a good edit and the story is all the work of parkprot the editor - the fic is mine but the idea is not!)  
> Link ---> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06OfidVMfDM

 

 

 

Jungkook stands at the door, breathing harsh and fist still raised on the lock. He waits until the other man leaves and then waits some more, not wanting to see the apartment with the knowledge that Taehyung may never return. He's not sure how long he stands there, could have been minutes, could have been hours, until his brain works out the rational decision of going about his life again. The mugs of tea still sat on the table catch his eye immediately.

Park had been in the apartment for less than ten minutes and had somehow managed to completely flip his world around. He even admitted that it should have been him.  _How dare he_. Jungkook doesn't register what he's doing until the sound of shattering pottery reaches his ears. Tea is splattered across the floor, bright green and yellow standing out amidst the mess. 

Fuck.

That's Taehyung's favourite mug.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.  _Fuck_.

The boy throws himself onto the floor next to the mess and starts grabbing at pieces, not caring when they cut into his hands. He has to fix this. 

Once he's gathered up the pieces, leaving the tea and other mug where they landed, Jungkook rushes into the kitchen. He dumps the pieces on the counter and starts hauling open drawer after drawer. Taehyung had super glue in here somewhere.  _Probably thrown in the junk drawer,_ a small voice supplies.

The boy slams the drawers closed and makes to leave the kitchen when his eyes land on a piece of paper stuck to the fridge. The Federation stamp sits boldly at the top of the page and Jungkook freezes. That wasn't there this morning. 

_Notice for next of kin of Cypher-IC-04 crew_

What? Jungkook snatches the paper, crumpling the base of it, and reads over it. Condolences....help is available.....blah, blah....may be asked to visit Federation for important events. The usual obligation letter. Then,  _on the first Saturday of each month next of kin are invited to send a communications message to the ship from Academy facilities._

He has to read the line again to be certain.

_Due to the unknown condition of the ship, communications will continue to be sent to the crew at regular intervals._

There's more text underneath, stating arrival times and where to report at the Academy as a next of kin but the information barely registers with Jungkook. He can still send messages to Taehyung. He could be  _alive_. 

He could be alive and on his way back to Earth.

.

.

.

.

.

In the distance the Vetr nebula is a swirling mass of colour, reminding Taehyung of smoke flares in the wind. Jungkook did photography on that once. Dragged him out to an abandoned building and made him run time and time again whilst setting off various coloured smoke flares. By the time they'd finished, there were coloured stains on his clothes and the smell of smoke clung to them both. It had been worth it just to see Jungkook's face when he uploaded them to his portfolio, even more so when he received feedback from his professors on their quality.

Still smiling at the memory, he looks back out into the distance. Somewhere out there, ships would be looking for them, scanning for the distress signal that Hoseok had managed to rig through. Taehyung just tries not to think about how much of their power reserves it's draining. 

The cockpit door slides open with a hiss and Taehyung's view of space is disrupted by the reflection of light pouring through, with Yoongi silhouetted against it. The elder steps in quietly, the cockpit going dark once again as the door closes behind him, only to slide into the pilots seat. The navigator expects him to speak - to ask Taehyung how he's feeling, how he's _coping_ , but he just focuses on the nebula before them.

It's peaceful and Taehyung can almost forget the severity of their situation, letting the dark and quiet calm his mind, focusing only on the colours and patterns of space right before them.

"I'm sorry Taehyung" he clears his throat slightly "For yelling at you and generally not being welcoming to you"

The apology hangs in the air. Taehyung isn't sure if he should reply, or if the Commander wants to keep talking.

"I was just worried about a new recruit filling in for someone that I've worked with for a long time and...almost told myself that I wasn't allowed to like you because I would be betraying Jimin"

Anther awkward pause. Yoongi is still looking out at the nebula.

"On the station as well, I was afraid. When you were panicking and angry it reminded me of myself when I first graduated - wanting to do everything by the book, wanting to save everyone - and I let the fear of something happening again overrule my judgement in the moment."

Now, he turns to face Taehyung and the younger boy meets sad eyes filled with guilt "I've lost crew twice before Taehyung because I wanted to save everybody, I wasn't about to make that mistake again. I'm sorry it was on your first posting and I'm sorry that I had you replace Jimin"

"I'm-I thought we were trained but I've never seen so much blood, so much pain, before. Training doesn't cover when you have no capability to help people, there's always a solution to every scenario" the pilot looks shocked at his words "Every simulation and exercise we did, it was engineered to work out in the end so that all involved were saved"

"That's fucking disgusting" Taehyung doesn't hear his comment for the memories swirling around in his mind

"I couldn't do it - Jin asked me to help and I couldn't do it, maybe he'd still be alive if I'd been able to do something"

The Commander is fast to move and kneel in front of him "Hey, Tae listen to me. You did your best and that's all that matters okay? It's our fault for thinking you would be perfectly fine because you graduated as one of the best from your intake"

"And-and I should have spotted the incorrect orbit faster as a na-navigator of our ship, I shoulda scanned for the field. Maybe then we'd be fine, we'd be g-going home"

Wordlessly, the Commander just wraps his arms around the shaking boy as his garbled sentences break off into sobs. His anger at the Academy and their training isn't going to do anything here, this far away from Earth. Right now, they all need to focus on each other and surviving until they're found.

.

.

.

.

.

What Jimin wasn't expecting aboard SOL was for so many cadets from the Academy to be staring at him, whispering among each other when he passes by. Logically, he knows that they're talking about him being part of the specialist rescue crew for Cypher, he'd heard such comments from them in the mess hall, but his arm still itches under his uniform at the thought of them  _knowing_.

He repeats Jihyo's words from the week before to himself as he walks briskly to the assigned docking bay "Rational thought and instinct only - tell your emotions to fuck off if you have to"

He's one of the last to arrive what with the shuttle delay and the ships ramp is already lowered when he gets there. Crew are hurrying back and forth, thankfully all too busy to pay him any mind. What he expects even less is to see two crew from Cheonsa talking with their pilot.

"Ah Sergeant Park! Meet [Leading Sergeant Kim](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1d/7a/8d/1d7a8d369343107eb4942fc8a4c9bc9c.jpg) and [Corporal Moon](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8b/d2/87/8bd2877c72b90e9cceb8829e860e2d1a.jpg) from the damaged station, they're joining us at the Marshals request"

The pair offer smiles that don't reach their eyes and Jimin tries to process the information. They'd been heavily sedated, recovering from Misir flu, up until eight days ago and they're already being reposted to aid with the rescue mission. What kind of  _madness_?

"Actually it was a personal request" the taller one with glasses speaks up "to find the crew that we lived with for months and to find those who were supposed to replace us"

"We're fit for duty don't worry" for someone with such alarmingly large arm muscles (he could practically hear Jin snort al- _arm_ -ingly), the shorter has a very gentle voice. 

Jimin nods "As long as that's definitely the case"

The taller, the Leading Sergeant he now notes, just nods back. There's something in his expression, eyes dark and jaw set, that has Jimin questioning why he isn't the second-in-command, what with a higher rank as well. He's every bit the leader that Jimin isn't - Kim also probably hadn't been found hiding in an airlock by Academy cadets, waiting for the doors to open and send him into space forever. 

" _Attention all crew: five minutes until launch, please proceed to your designated section_ "

Jimin shakes himself slightly, rational thoughts only. He has a job to do now.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one was a slow update, I've just been struggling to write at the moment.
> 
> I feel bad because them being stranded isn't exactly interesting because there's not a whole lot for them to do - hence why I'm mostly skipping over it.  
> Oh yeah also, I haven't used honorifics in this fic largely because I just *forgot* they were a thing and I guess now it's a bit late to go and add them. Besides, we've got ranks n stuff instead ;)
> 
> Mood for this chapter is : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohHtQRZ6-Sw&list=LLc0L19lWP8A92jgbSZgrMYw&index=2&t=0s

 

 

 

"Hey Taehyung can you believe that it's been one thousand, seven hundred and sixty-five days since I got told you were gone? Almost five years..." a smile ghosts across Jungkook's lips as he tries to force happiness into the message "Have you been doing much since the last message I sent? I did a shoot for a family the other day at Namsan Park, turns out the lock we put on the tower is still there"

Jungkook glances towards the timer in the lower corner of the screen.

_09:06_

_09:05_

Sometimes it's easy for him to talk to the camera -  _Taehyung_  he reminds himself - and other times, like now, it feels awkward and forced. Most of the other families had all stopped sending messages after two years or so and Jungkook's been the only one for the last eleven months that bothered to turn up every first Saturday of the month. Times like this make him question why he still bothers sitting in the cold room sending messages, especially when it seems like each time he comes he spends more time staring at the red light than speaking.

_08:38_

_08:37_

He tries to ignore the Corporal shifting from foot to foot behind the door, probably annoyed that he has to supervise the one person who still wants to send messages. Jungkook's surprised that they haven't cancelled these sessions totally with him being the only one left. Maybe they will.

"Oh yeah, I quit my job at the coffee shop last week! I'm now a full time photographer"

His brief enthusiasm fizzles out almost immediately. 

_07:24_

Jungkook just sighs and reaches up to click on the end button. He doesn't even bother to say goodbye this time, Taehyung will understand when he watches the message. He grabs his bag and hurries from the room, making sure to thank the Corporal on the way out. He doesn't get a smile back.

It's sad really that he's still coming here monthly after almost six years when other family members have given up but Jungkook is still clinging to the words of high-ranking Marshals -  _we still have a ship looking for them_. That means they're still out there. He just chooses to ignore the whispers that follow him every time he enters the Academy building.

 .

.

.

.

.

Yoongi just sighs and pulls the door closed behind him. He makes his way back to the ship's kitchen where Seokjin and Hoseok are waiting with hopeful expressions, both of which crumble when he shakes his head at them.   
  
It's been three days since the incident in the cockpit and Taehyung hasn't ventured out of his room since. They've all tried to get him to talk, mostly when they take in a small tray of food, but the boy has only responded with silence. Somehow Yoongi knows he's thinking about the wide-eyed boy, the one in the photo on the desk who kind of resembles a bunny.  
  
The pilot takes a seat at the table but makes no move to begin eating with the others. Taehyung's whole demeanour reminds him a little too much of Jimin. It's the eyes he decides. Wide open but seeing nothing while the boy lies there completely unresponsive and unaware of the world around him.  Just for something to do, Yoongi takes a bite of food. Whatever Seokjin made for them today tastes like cardboard and takes entirely too much effort to eat. The only sound at the table is the clink of chopsticks against plates, such a change from the crew's usual boisterous chatter at the table.  
  
He can't do this.   
  
"Sorry guys" he stands quickly and the chair screeches in protest then, ignoring the looks the others give him, he rushes towards the cockpit.   
  
It's been a source of comfort for him to sit in there for hours at a time just watching the galaxy go by. He doesn't expect to find Taehyung standing in there, looking like he wants to run away but can't get him limbs to work.  
  
"Tae?"  
  
The younger jumps but doesn't turn to face him. Yoongi can see fresh tear tracks on his cheeks in the reflection on the glass.  
  
"I told him it was only a short posting...I told him I'd be home soon" he swipes a hand across his cheek "It's been five days for us but how long has it been on Earth?"  
  
Yoongi feels sick watching him. The whole situation is screaming danger at him but all he can think is  _Jimin, Jimin, Jimin_  - he's seen this before, the tears on their face but the surety in their voice that completely offsets the whole situation.   
  
"He doesn't even know if I'm alive" Taehyung turns to face him now "Do you feel like this for Jimin?"  
  
Yoongi tries not to feel guilty about the fact that Jimin is most likely on their rescue vessel, whereas Taehyung's friend is stuck on Earth not knowing, a soon to be victim of changing time. He doesn't succeed. And Yoongi wants to say yes even though no, he doesn't, because he and Jimin have been in this game too long. They both learned long ago that feelings only result in pain, and are both professional enough to hide it anyway. Except the pilot knows that saying yes would help the younger.  
  
He opens his mouth to reply but Taehyung must see something else in his eyes. Must see the truth.

"Forget it" he says and pushes past.

The door closes with a hiss, leaving the pilot in darkness once more. With it comes one sudden, loud realisation.

_This isn't fair._

None of this is fair. Taehyung got pulled along late, the only crew member with anyone waiting for him on Earth and now he's stuck with them, stranded in space on an unresponsive vessel. His first real posting and he's not even supposed to be here. That's not fair. It isn't fair that he's so young, and unused to things and he's got someone back home.

Thoughts keep tumbling around the pilots brain, anger rising at everything until it spills out in a hot rush. Yoongi swings his arm blindly with a cry of anger to try and vent the thoughts out. In the same instant, pain laces white-hot through his right hand.

It's sobering to feel the crack of his knuckles against the wall. Angry thoughts instantly replaced by the pain that consumes his hand. 

In the next moment he's relieved that it's Hoseok bursting through the door instead of Seokjin because he doesn't really want to know what soap tastes like. He takes one look at the scene - the pilot's tense frame, red streaking across the pale skin of his hands and wild eyes - to determine what's happened. Yoongi's knees buckle then and Hoseok is quick to support him to the floor, pushing him until he's leaning back on the wall for support.

The younger is saying something that Yoongi isn't paying attention to and then he's gently taking ahold of his hand.

"We saw Tae coming back so I thought I should come check on you, good job I did really"

Yoongi chooses to stay silent and watch as the younger turns his hand over gently, checking to see what damage has been done.

"Ho-bi" His voice feels weak, shaky. The younger doesn't even hear.

"You're gonna have to get Jin to look at this, okay? Looks like you've broken knuckles for definite and maybe a few other bones in your hand but I'm not the medic around here"

He tries again "Hobi"

This time the younger looks up, face softening at expression on the Commander's face.

"Come on, let's get you to Jin and then we can talk. Or you can talk to him. But I'm gonna give you time to think about what you want to say"

Yoongi can only nod and brace his legs to stand when Hoseok slips an arm under his own, letting the other half-carry his weight as they walk. He still can't quite get over how silent the ship has become, their boots loud against the metal flooring in the absence of the usual hum of engines.

As soon as they enter the kitchen, Yoongi sees Taehyung sat at the table with Seokjin staring him down as he eats. The eldest looks up and then almost falls over his feet trying to rush over to them. He leaves moments later, presumably to grab a medical kit, and Yoongi is left in a chair with Hoseok holding his shoulders down and Taehyung shooting glances at him from across the room.

When Seokjin returns the pilot focuses on the patterns the lights make through his lashes. The only sounds are gentle breaths and Taehyung's chopsticks against his bowl, occasionally broken up by a protest from Yoongi. 

Eventually the medic sits back and adjusts his glasses. Yoongi tries not to feel annoyed at the damn hand flick he does because it's been years since he met the older and longer since he first saw him do it, realising too late that he's being spoken to.

"...might hurt somewhat I'm afraid"

"Wait, what? Back up a second, what?"

Seokjin doesn't look irritated when he repeats back "I said - not much damage to your hand itself but three knuckles are broken and one needs to be realigned which is almost definitely going to hurt like a bitch" 

Something flashes in his peripheral and the pilot suddenly feels sick. Needles never were his strong point. There's a sharp prick against his skin and all thoughts vanish from his mind whilst he waits for it to end.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really happy with these last few chapter but, eh - I've always been better at writing shorter pieces. Medical knowledge from this chapter aquired from my mother who is a nurse.
> 
> I wanna apologiseas well if any of you are waiting for these chapters, writing has been hard for me these last couple of weeks because dysphoria is kicking my ass. Sorry for the delays my dudes.
> 
> Comments and support are always appreciated :)

 

 

 

Yoongi feels almost like a nebula right now, thoughts swirling around as nonsensical patterns, while he drifts as if on a raft at sea.

"You have the circulation of a sloth made out of butter" there's no malice or anger in Seokjin's tone and Yoongi can't help but smile drunkenly at his words "Seriously Yoongi, it's been six hours - most people stop feeling morphine after four"

"I only said I felt a bit like I was floating, I can still tell that you've been pushing your glasses back up your nose every thirty seconds"

"Can you feel your hand yet?"

He looks down at the bandage in faux consideration "Hmmmm, nope"

"I rest my case" the medic says, pushes his glasses back up his nose again before standing "I'm gonna go make sure that Hobi is actually sleeping and not watching the galaxy go by"

Yoongi pulls his eyes from his hand to Seokjin. The elder crew member looks exhausted, with purple dusting under his eyes and shoulders tensed under the blue of his uniform. The pilot tries to ignore the dark staining on the sleeve that they hadn't been able to wash out with the ships less than satisfactory laundry facilities. He knows that neither of them have been able to rest properly for fear of missing any passing rescue vessels and the fact that they've barely been eating hasn't helped. 

Seven days is a long time to be stranded and completely blind to things outside the ship.

"I think Taehyung hates me"

Seokjin stops abruptly in the doorway. Turns to fix Yoongi with _the look_.

"I was rude to him because I wanted Jimin here and I was stressed about Jimin, okay? And then, then he asks me if I'm as worried about Jimin as he is about his partner - back at home not knowing if we're going to return - and I couldn't say yes Jin. I couldn't do it, not when I know that Jimin will be on one of the search vessels"

He looks like he's about to say something, no doubt something incredibly sensible and rational, until Taehyung barrels through the door. The way that Seokjin gets knocked into the door frame would be comical at any other time except the pilot's attention is drawn to the paper clutched in the youngest's grasp. The navigator is a picture of hard work - pen marks littered across his hands, hair looking more like a nest than anything else and tense shoulders from sitting too long. 

"I-" he cuts himself off to take a breath "I figured out - the time on Earth"

No.

Taehyung strides forward to slap the paper onto the table. Closer now, Yoongi can see that there are tears building again in his already bloodshot eyes.

Fuck.

"I used st-star maps and timed the movement of the ship, turns out we're moving on a trajectory away from earth. And the rate of movement means that with each hour - no, each minute - that goes by the time delay to earth is getting longer"

It's Seokjin who moves first to grasp the others shoulders and try to pull him away, murmuring softly in his ear " _Tae don't, come on_ "

"It's been ten years!" he shouts the last sentence as he fights back against the medic's hold.

Yoongi turns away - he knows the question that Taehyung is going to ask and he knows that they all know the answer to it.

 _What happens after fifteen years?_ The unspoken question fills the silence around them.

Fifteen Earth years is the cut off for all search vessels - after that point those currently on duty will return home and no more vessels will be dispatched. Family or next of kin no longer have the option to send messages and the Federation holds a big memorial for the crew. Sometimes, they've been lucky and the crew have been found by another passing vessel and return safely. Other times, most times in fact, the missing crew are never found and it can only be speculated whether they died on the ship or fell victim to pirates, solar radiation or some other tragedy.

The simple fact is, they're running out of time and there's not a damn thing they can do about it.

.

.

.

.

.

He can't exactly say that the letter was unexpected, except it was because he's fallen into such a routine. Fifteen years since he first received the news on Taehyung's ship he's finally being told that it's over. He's been hanging on all this time, unable to form relationships with anyone else because the ship had to be out there and when it would be found, less than a few weeks would have passed for Taehyung. 

But now the Federation is giving up. Just like the other families did years ago.

Jungkook is stood staring at a suit he's managed to dig out of the back of his closet, picking at his bitten nails and wondering if he even wants to go to this memorial. If he goes, he'll be acknowledging the likelihood of Taehyung's death which, as far as he's concerned, makes him just as bad as the higher-ups at the Federation who have called all the search missions off.

And yet, Taehyung could still be alive. The whole crew could be - condemned now to a slow death onboard a blind ship just because they've reached a particular time of being missing. 

Reluctantly, he pulls the suit on, doing the bare minimum to look acceptable before climbing into the car. It's the height of summer and all around are children playing under a cloudless sky, happy families oblivious to his own inner turmoil. It isn't fair. Why are people allowed to be so happy when he has to let go of the person he's waited fifteen years for?

The Academy building always reminds Jungkook of a hospital - long expanses of grey in echoing hallways that make people feel as if they have to be quiet - and even after so long he still hates it. Hates that training cadets stare at anyone not in uniform with unrestrained curiosity.  A part of him wants to snap at them to fuck off while another part forces him to bow his head and walk faster.

He finds himself in the same hall that he watched Taehyung's graduation in, ushered into a chair right near the stage. At the very back of the room a few cameras are stationed with several crew members running around, calling out instructions over the quiet chatter. Some families are already crying and Jungkook finds himself tuning everything out to focus on the stage itself.

There are two tables, each draped with a black cloth, taking up most of the space. On each one there's a wreath and vessel name, with portraits and a candle for each crew member, names written in large print under each one. In between the tables is a small podium with the words _We shall not forget_ hanging on another black cloth.

A small part of Jungkook laughs about how awkward this whole situation would be if the crew are found alive after all.

The table nearest to him has the name Cheonsa on it, four portraits arranged carefully. The names he recognises from the day Sergeant Park broke the news to him.

 _Commander Bang Yongguk_.   _Sergeant Yoo Youngjae_.   _Sergeant Jung Daehyun_. Three serious faces stare back at him. Very military of them to all have the same hair colour and style as well as expression.

 _Cadet Choi Junhong_. Whoever this boy is he barely looks old enough to have graduated.

He looks to the other table, to finally see what Taehyung's crew looked like and to see Taehyung's face for the first time in years.

 _Commander Min Yoongi_. There's a tension to the commander that Jungkook can see even through the photo  - a set to his shoulders and almost grimace that shows the black-haired man is uncomfortable in front of a camera.

 _Commander Kim Seokjin_. The first thing that registers in Jungkook’s mind is _model_. Broad shoulders, kind face and alert eyes set behind a pair of glasses that all look too perfect for a Federation astronaut.

 _Sergeant Jung Hoseok_. Jungkook is glad to be able to put a face to the name he'd heard so often as Taehyung's roommate, the older boy wasn't joking when he described him as "the one with hair as bright as his smile". He's also the one with the widest smile out of all the portraits, two dimples giving him an inviting and friendly look.

 _Cadet Kim Taehyung_. Oh god. He recognises the photo of course, the same one Taehyung had framed hours after his graduation. The same one that had fallen victim to Jungkook's anger at some point over the years and now sits in a box hidden from view.

It feels strange to put names to faces after so long but Jungkook feels as if he knows each person from the ship Taehyung was on.

A few minutes later a Leading Sergeant steps up to the stand. To Jungkook the soft features and blonde hair look awfully familiar.

"We humans have accomplished many great things over our time. We understand so much, but the sky behind those lights - mostly void and partially stars -"  he gestures towards the windows at this, with the audience all looking out beyond the lights to the few visible stars in the sky,  "reminds us that we don't understand even more. Tragedies like this only serve to remind us of what we don't know and how small we really are within this void"

Jungkook is barely paying attention as his brain cycles through faces he'd met at the Federation, trying to find a match for the soft spoken man before him. Something glitters in the light and Jungkook is brought abruptly to a memory.

Earrings. 

" _You were supposed to be on that ship_ "

Gentle hands. Lots of rings.

" _Mr Jeon please calm down_ "

Taehyung's mug filled with tea. A sad smile not reaching his eyes.

" _A navigator at the Federation_ "

" _I'm Sergeant Park Jimin_ "

Jungkook gives his head a quick jerk to force the memory away.

No. It can't be him. 

He chances a look to the others uniform to read the name badge. He's expecting it but it still shocks him to read the exact name he's remembered. He'd been hoping for something, anything, else.

When he looks up again, the navigator has been replaced by two others introducing themselves as Cheonsa crew who were rescued.

"...They will be remembered"

Why are they always talking as if the crew are all dead? How can they when they said themselves that the can't know for sure unless they find the ship?

The familiar heat of angers pulses under his skin and he clenches his fists, trying to maintain composure. Until it builds and he's standing abruptly with the taller one, with glasses and sharp features, turning to face him, falling silent. Then before anyone can say something Jungkook flees the room and it's oppressive sadness.

He doesn't register anything as he walks, barely notices getting in his car and starting the engine. He just wants away from the building.

Faster. He can't get away fast enough.

He knows it's not safe to be this reckless but he can't bring himself to look at anything in case it brings any memories back. Focus on getting home. Nothing matters except getting away from that place.

Taehyung could still come back. He could still be alive. He could-

Jungkook is entirely unprepared to see the sky shatter before his eyes when he pulls across an intersection. Except the world doesn't care about preparation and it does so anyway.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is starting to deviate from the story that parkprot set out but I was only using it as inspiration. The basic idea belongs to them (Taehyung goes to space after meeting Jungkook in a cafe and then Taehyung experiences difficulties that delay his return to earth so that when he doestablished return). The inclusion of other characters, the actual difficulties faced and the nature of Jungkook’s death were thought up by myself.
> 
> I just wanted to clarify that this is still based on the video even if it has my own ideas and is starting to change slightly.
> 
> And yeah, Yoongi's rap is from So Far Away because I'm trash for his work alright don't judge me.
> 
> @People who comment: I love you.  
> @People who bookmark: I love you.  
> @People who kudos: I love you.  
> @Anyone who reads this: I have so much love for you for taking the time to read my trash.

 

 

 

_"I think I've got sand in my underwear Kook"_

_The younger boys peeks around the camera at Taehyung where he's lying in the sand underneath him. The sunlight has brought out glittering strands of hair and there's a slight trace of red across his nose from being out all day. Taehyung still thinks that he should try out a turn in front of the camera some time._

_"Well I did tell you not to move around so much" as he says this, Taehyung moves around again and grimaces which prompts a burst of laughter from him "Tae, stop moving. I'll be done soon"_

_"You said that for the last set of pictures"_

_Jungkook pushes the older boy's head down onto the sand "And this time I mean it. Just a couple minutes then I'll buy you ice cream"_

_Taehyung grumbles but complies anyway because he knows better than to turn down freebies. Especially sweet sugary freebies. And maybe because he actually does want to help Jungkook._

_Minutes later Jungkook pulls him up from the ground and steps back to allow Taehyung to shake half the beach from his hair and clothes. Then they're walking over to a small hut, it's bright red paint standing out against the blue of the sky, dodging families all the way._

_"What do you want?"_

_Taehyung turns to Jungkook who's pulling out his wallet already only the memory is starting to look awfully faded._

_"_ What do you want?"

_No. No, no, no._

"Tae?"

He's in the ship's dining area, elbows propped up on the table and Seokjin looking at him with slight concern.

He blinks a few times as the words register "Sorry, uh...Can you repeat that?"

The medic smiles gently "We were deciding on dinner and I asked if you wanted kimchi stew or spicy noodles"

Oh.

Not exactly important when they're living off what's in the cargo hold and whatever they don't eat tonight will almost certainly be eaten before the end of the week. The idea of a cooked fresh meal on these ships is a mere illusion, since they can only use what's been provided and it's usually all been planned before they get on the ship.

"Whichever" he can't even bring his voice away from a mumble.

There's been too many emotions in the twenty-six days they've been stuck. First fear and anger which had fizzed out into numbness until the day when his brain just refused to be idle anymore. The revelation of their time off Earth had brought Taehyung back to his numb acceptance faster than the first time.

It's comforting how he always ends up in the cockpit, just watching things go by, sometimes with the quiet company of Yoongi or Hoseok. He feels guilty looking at the pilot sometimes after his anger and their talks, all because Taehyung just didn't know how to deal with the situation and Yoongi had it lucky with his _partner_. Fifteen years...by now he supposes Jungkook will have either forgotten him or, if he knows the boy, he'll still be hanging on to the one bit of hope remaining.

Today, it's Yoongi already lounging in the pilot's seat, quiet verse falling from his lips in the otherwise silent cockpit. Taehyung scrambles back from the door before it opens, feeling very much like he's interrupted a moment. He can still watch and listen through the glass however. 

" _Even my friends and family are drifting away_

_I feel anxious as time passes by_

_It feels like I’m all by myself"_

Though the words are quiet, they're filled with a kind of anger -or is it passion, Taehyung's not sure - that conveys so much emotion and the words themselves fit too well for the whole situation that he feels himself struggling to keep a rise of emotion down. 

_"I hope everything disappears when I’m alone_

_I hope things disappear like mirage_

_I hope things disappear_

_I hope my damn self disappear_ s"

The black-haired man huffs softly and stops with a muttered "We already have disappeared as far as Earth is concerned"

Taehyung steps forward to enter as it seems he's finished only to freeze again when he sees the pilot sit up abruptly. He's looking at something off to the side of the ship that Taehyung can't see from his angle but what he can see is the flash of hope when the elder stands up. Yoongi is leaning right up against the glass with his palms on the dark control panels, looking like a kid in a candy store. Disbelieving, excited and hopeful all at once.

The ships jolts underneath them and Taehyung realises what's happening. There's another ship. Another ship who has seen them and is now pulling them in. He should feel afraid - that could be any ship commanded by pirates, rebels in outer systems, scavengers. Except he also knows that the pilot's hope must mean it's a Federation or at least friendly vessel.

Seokjin and Hoseok come running up behind Taehyung just as Yoongi turns to leave. The former demanding answers from both the navigator and the pilot until Yoongi steps back from the doorway crush to address them.

"There's a Federation vessel. We've been found"

Stunned silence is all that meets his words until Hoseok whoops loudly and grabs Taehyung into a hug. Taehyung can't get over the disbelief - space is vast emptiness and they were floating off course in an area with low population, yet here they are with a Federation vessel pulling them into the docking bay.

They watch quietly as the ship passes through the larger ships outer hull and into a small bay, blinking lights on either side of them that were meant to guide pilots in finally casting a dim glow over the cockpit after so long in darkness. It's comforting to hear the docking clamps lock around their ship in the bay.

Then nothing happens. No radio communication, no green light to leave, no ramp opening. Just more silence.

Confused, Taehyung looks out at the bay doors to see four people completely covered in black clothing walking towards their ship with weapons raised. Semi-automatic blasters by the looks of things.

"Commander..they don't look so friendly"

Yoongi looks at him as if he's grown another head but leans over to watch them anyway as the team vanishes under the ship. Hoseok has gone worryingly quiet behind them and when the pilot turns back he too looks solemn. Somehow they gravitate towards the stairs and, after a moment's pause, move down to the lower deck of the ship where the engine and cargo bay is.

Taehyung tries not to visibly jump when he hears the ramp being lowered. A difficult task, considering the rest of the crew all tense at the same time.

"Come out with your hands in the air!" the voice echoes up to them from the docking bay. They can't see the four armed crew from here but Taehyung has a pretty good guess that they're stood with weapons raised at the bottom, waiting for them to come out. Ready to shoot if anything goes wrong.

"Commander...."

"What the fuck is going on"

"We should probably follow their advice Yoongi"

"Tae don't worry, it'll be okay" 

They're talking over one another - Yoongi almost spitting in his anger whilst Taehyung slips further away from the open ramp. Seokjin is already walking towards it when the voice cuts over their noise again.

"If you don't come out with your hands up in the next thirty seconds the ship is going to get stormed!"

It only takes one look for their Commander to nod before they're all taking careful steps forward. Legs moving jerkily, Taehyung absolutely does not think about how much a blaster would hurt if he happens to move his arms just wrong and they think he's attacking them. He's starting to feel the same disconnection that he felt back onboard Cheonsa, stomach doing a wonderful impression of a washing machine.

One misstep on the ramp and he's brought back to reality very quickly and painfully when he collides with the docking bay flooring. At least he tripped near the bottom.

"Stay where you are!" the order is barked at them so harshly that Taehyung jerks against the floor in response to stopping his move to stand up. The sounds of multiple pairs of boots against the ground only serves to remind Taehyung that he hasn't worn his for almost four days and he feels his ears start to heat under the realisation that he's just tripped down the ramp in front of armed Federation officers whilst wearing fuzzy pink socks. This day just gets better and better.

Someone pulls him roughly to his feet, holding him steady against the headrush. Even through blurred out vision Taehyung can see the way one of the officers studies Yoongi carefully, takes a quick glance at the rest of them before swearing quietly. He wishes he could see something more that just the eyes of them all so they seem less intimidating.

"Jeno release him, weapons down everybody"

The hands let g of Taehyung rather suddenly and he finds himself swaying again. The artificial gravity on this ship hates him.

One of the others steps forward slightly "Yu- Leader what's wrong?"

The Leader -  Leading Sergeant he realises a second later when he looks at the patches on his shoulders - raises an arm both to stop and silence the other and reaches up to activate a radio.

"Commander the vessel is Cypher-IC-04 not the suspected stolen vessel" there's a few gasps from the other officers as he waits for a reply "Yes, understood Commander"

Their leader reaches up to remove his goggles and pull the face mask down which prompts the others to do the same, before holding out his hand in greeting to each of them "Leading Sergeant Nakamoto Yuta, welcome aboard guys. I've been instructed to take you to the medical bay where our captain would like to meet you all, if you'll follow me please"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also.....I'm in the process of planning an nct fic set in this same universe but maybe a little further in the future. I don't really stan nct as such but it will mostly be a gift to my awesome friends who I send stuff to before posting so she can yell again me about feels.
> 
> So stay tuned if you want space misadventures I guess.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !! WARNING !! This chapter contains a description of a blood test, no visual for it just the feelings and pain associated with it so if you don't like that stop reading after "He thinks maybe he could fall asleep like this" and you can start reading again at "It puts Cypher and its small medical packs to shame."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is titled "ah shit I got too absorbed in nct's storyline oops my bad"
> 
> Anyone who plays elite is probably going to tell me that an imperial clipper and an anaconda are technically meant to be the same size. But you know what? We're saying it's bigger anyway because artistic licence is a thing so deal with it I guess.
> 
> Comments are muchly appreciated - please give me any feedback at all.

 

 

 

The defence officer leads them through the doors of the docking bay into the engine room. Machinery stretches above them across all three levels of the ship and Taehyung can see someone right near the top, perched on some kind of pulley system.

"This is the lower deck of the ship and the cargo hold is on the other side of the docking bay"

He starts up the stairs towards the next level, still explaining all the while as if he were just giving them a tour of the ship.

"On the second deck we have a workshop for our engineers, a sort of armoury for us defence officers, as well as the medical bay and the bridge"

Standing higher in the engine room now Taehyung can get a sense of the sheer size of this ship. The engines themselves are probably as large as Cypher is, spanning the height of all three decks and he knows this only spans a small region at the back of the ship. All around them are dark metal railings and walkways to provide access points at various parts of the engines. He's surprised it isn't louder or dirtier.

"Top deck has all the living quarters, a kitchen and a gym and we'll set you up a room later" 

The man pushes through a door, moving deeper into the ship. The workshop is made up of large work benches, all scattered with various tools and spare parts except for one which stands exceptionally tidy, and two people are crowded over one of them. Something electrical is sparking on the bench in front of them.

"Kun and Haechan" the pair give them a quick wave "you'll be introduced to everyone at breakfast in around about an hour, after medical give you the obligatory check"

Another door has them passing through a room made entirely of grey. Benches and lockers off to one side great lockers made of thick metal off to the other. The three men who had been following up to now peel off from the group, dropping weapons onto a nearby table and beginning to pull off their helmets.

Yuta gives them one more gentle smile as he pushes them towards the last door.

"Medical is through there, one of the others will direct you afterwards"

They push through the doors to find three medics stood waiting and the shortest of them immediately walks forward to greet them.

"Leading Sergeant Moon Taeil, this is Sergeant Kim Jungwoo and Cadet Na Jaemin" the medic takes Yoongi's arm and gently steers him over to a bed then gestures for Taehyung to sit on the next one along. Seokjin and Hoseok move quietly to the other side of the medical bay and each perch on the edge of another pair of beds at another gesture from the lead medic.

Jungwoo moves over to him whilst the cadet hangs awkwardly between them, unsure of where to go until Taeil speaks up again.

"Jaemin come here so you can observe" it's evident that he's being gentle with the cadet, likely a new recruit judging by his unease and not knowing "You guys boarded the station Cheonsa right?"

Seokjin pipes up from across the room "You think we might have Misir flu?"

"I think we just need to be careful - you were in close contact with bodies and have been living together for almost a month. Since you guys left Earth a vaccine has been developed so our crew is fine but it won't help if you've already got it I'm afraid"

The man  walks to a storage cabinet and returns with two monitors, handing one to the medic tending to Taehyung. Already Taehyung can feel fear thrumming under his skin. Misir flu could incubate for months and be passed quickly from person to person. And it kills too. Fast. The hiss of curtains closing around the bed has him tensing more in anticipation. 

"Relax" Jungwoo rests a hand on his shoulder "Just gonna take your vitals and do a quick blood test. Please can you undo the top of your flight suit?"

Taehyung reaches up with shaky hands to undo the zip, quickly shrugging his arms from the sleeves and tying them around his waist. The medic is rummaging around in a cupboard next to him, placing items onto a tray and Taehyung feels just a little bit sick at the sight of a needle. Or is it the knowledge that he could be carrying a deadly disease?

He glances up to see the curtains have only been drawn around Yoongi then looks across to Seokjin in confusion. The elder man shrugs.

"You want them closed?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it's okay"

The medic nods then pats his shoulder gently "Lie back for me, you look like you're about to pass out on us"

He slips a pulse oximeter onto Taehyung's finger before taking an aural thermometer and pressing it to his ear. They sit in an awkward silence, Taehyung feeling slightly trapped with the other man so close, until both items beep in completion.

"No early signs of infection which is good"

Taehyung then starts finding small things to focus on as a distraction when the medic removes both items and brings the tray over.

The weird pattern in the metal of the ceiling above him. The cool wisp of air over his face every so often. A soft pillow slipping under his arm. He thinks maybe he could fall asleep like this.

_The pinch of an elastic tourniquet on his arm._

Oh hell no. 

Breathe in. Breathe out. Nice cold air. Hoseok is swinging his feet against the floor just across from him. That's a real weird pattern on the ceiling though he has to say. Why is it like that? Especially metal of al-

_The sharp prick of a needle into the crook of his elbow._

Ow fuck. 

Don't think about it, don't think about it. Do NOT think about it.

The needle shifts slightly and Taehyung bites back a whimper and the extra twinge of pain. There's a click of plastic, the needle shifts again and this time Taehyung outright whines at the feeling of it. He's given up trying to focus on other things and instead focuses on not making any noise when the tourniquet is released, easing the pressure on his arm before he feels the needle sliding free.

Three vials of blood sit on the tray. His stomach churns.

Jungwoo presses a ball of cotton to his elbow then brings Taehyung's hand across to hold it himself. He watches as the medic takes the sample into a small room sectioned off from the rest of the medical bay, presumably a lab of some kind. Taehyung takes a moment to actually look at the rest of the bay - as well as the lab and the open area of beds there's another room signposted as an operating room, and yet another separate room with radiation warning symbols on it. This ship has the capability for advanced medical procedures and scans.

It puts Cypher and its small medical packs to shame.

"You good?" Jungwoo is back, pushing his hand aside and sticking a plaster carefully onto the needle site "Just sit tight for a moment, you look a little pale"

The man moves across to Hoseok and Seokjin, making them both undo their flight suits and lie back. Yoongi is still hidden behind drawn curtains with the lead medic, hushed voices too quiet for him to hear not giving any indication as to why the pilot is hidden. 

"Wanna lollipop?"

Taehyung just stares at the container in the boy's hand when he rattles it slightly. " 'm not a child" he mutters, word coming out harsh through his nausea.

"No but you look a bit ill and unsure and, you know, free candy is free candy" he shakes the box again for emphasis until Taehyung reaches to take a cherry flavoured lollipop. 

He definitely doesn't enjoy the sweet burst of flavour so much that he almost moans around the candy. But holy fuck it's good after weeks of Federation provided basic meals and it helps give him a little boost anyhow.

A beat later, Jaemin reappears by his side.

"Relax, the Commander's probably still talking to SOL about the situation so you've got maybe a good half hour to nap or something"

Taehyung's gotten good at tuning things out over the last few weeks. He can do that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry after the next chapter no more ncy mentions, it'll go back to bts. I just didn't want to skip entirely over their rescue am the next chapter is explanations and then after that we're back on Earth!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working double shifts at my job lately and I've been too dead to write anything so this took longer than I wanted.
> 
> A thing to look forward though - Namjoon will soon appear!!
> 
> I love comments on this work and absolutely want to hear what you think of it :)

Thirty minutes later, after enjoying his candy more than he'll admit to Jaemin, Taehyung is startled awake by harsh metallic clanging that reverberates in his skull for a long moment.

The lighting has been dimmed down whilst he was sleeping and now it's harder to make out the far corners of the bay. His eyes finally focus on a pair in the corner of the medical bay.

The one with light brown hair he identifies as the lead medic but the black haired man clutching at his arm is new. Taehyung searches his uniform and finds not only rank tapes identifying the man as a commander,  but also the light blue trim on his name badge that the shows he's a pilot. Possibly the captain of the ship? He doesn't know the captain's name and he can't read the name badge from this distance anyway. 

Slowly, the medic is helped up and walked to one of the many medical beds where the commander then pushes him to lie down.

"I'd say go to your bunk but don't think I can trust you to walk there" he doesn't sound angry, or disappointed, just firm with his words. Now that they're closer however Taehyung can see the worry etched so obviously onto his face. Officers aren't supposed to show emotions like that when they have a crew to take care of. The medic struggles for a second against him until he speaks again "Taeil you've done your job now, get some rest before you collapse"

With that, the commander turns and begins walking over to, schooling his face into an impassive mask as he draws nearer to the waiting Cypher crew. Taehyung shakes off the last tendrils of sleep still clinging to him and sits up. The pilot stops just short of the beds, wringing his hands together in a nervous gesture as he addresses them.

"My name is Commander Lee Taeyong and I'm the captain of this ship" he shuffles slightly, eyes darting around to find something or to just avoid looking at them "First, I uh want to apologise for how we took in your vessel however, a few Earth years ago, an Imperial Clipper was taken by pirates in this sector and the damage to your ship meant that it could not be identified from a distance"

Yoongi looks less than impressed when he speaks up "We had no systems - a completely dead ship - surely,  _surely_ , that must have made it obvious that the ship was Cypher and not the stolen one?"

"The stolen vessel was heavily damaged in a firefight between Federation and pirate vessels. We first picked you up on radar approximately eighteen hours ago and spent the night observing as the ship was pulled into orbit of Pienate, I had my entire crew mobilised and ready through the night in case your ship happened to be the stolen one with eight crew on board, as we could only strike whilst on the opposing side of the star, provided that the area was also clear of pirates" the captain hasn't changed his stern expression once during the entire explanation.

Taehyung just lets it sink in. Somewhere around here is another blind vessel with more crew on it who could be injured or dead. They were found by accident and luck because nobody was looking for them. They're the wrong one.

"Second, I hate to tell you this but it's been eighty-three years on Earth since Cypher was reported as missing. Search missions were unsuccessful because none of them were looking in this direction from Cheonsa as the asteroid impact could not have caused your ship to move this way"

"We were impacted twice" Seokjin's voice is soft, as if he's trying not to have to say anything.

Taeyong's eyes widen at the revelation "Twice? I guess that makes sense....This vessel, albeit with a smaller crew at the time, tracked your first hit from ship data but we weren't close enough for a visual to determine that second hit"

The pilot looks uncomfortable with all the attention in the room now on him, shifting from side to side as the tension swells like a balloon around them. Quiet, simmering anger from all of them that nobody had even known where they were for almost a month ( _eighty-three years,_ Taehyung reminds himself) and disbelief that they've even been found at all. There's question too floating unspoken between all of them - How has Earth changed? How will they adjust to people being older when they've hardly changed? Will anyone even be there for them after all this time?

"You're welcome to either join my crew and take a room in the quarters as well as join us for meals or help around as you feel or you can return to your own ship and live there until we reach SOL - the choice is yours but, please, let us know of your decision whatever it may be" as soon as he finishes speaking Taeyong spins on his heel and strides toward the exit. He gets faster with every step, as if he's trying to run away from the Cypher crew. Taehyung can't really blame him, not when he was likely part of the failed rescue in the immediate aftermath of the asteroid impact.

With nothing left to distract them, and the silence feeling more oppressive by the second, Taehyung feels more lost than he did on Cypher after they lost contact. Eighty-three years is a staggering amount to try and comprehend - changes and losses on Earth that they've all just missed - when it's been a mere four weeks for themselves. Any friends would be well into their hundreds by now, and family even older. If any of them are still alive that is.

Taehyung feels sick just thinking about it. 

Jungkook could be gone. His best friend and roommate ( _lover?_   a small part of his brain supplies unhelpfully) would either be too elderly to remember him or doesn't even exist on Earth at all any more.

The others look just as lost as he feels, in particular Hoseok is staring at nothing at all, eyes flickering around every so often as other thoughts move into his brain. But his eyes always move back to the distance without seeing any of it.

Seokjin sits at the other end of the spectrum with a carefully schooled expression on his face. He's watching out the small window as a star passes by, casting harsh shadows against his face in the dim lighting of the medical bay. The slight downturn of his lips is the only indication of his true feelings, a testament to his officer training at the Federation.

It's Yoongi who breaks the silence "Come on, they offered us breakfast and since they haven't said anything about illness to us I'm going to assume that we're clear"

Slowly, they move to first sit and then stand up before heading to the same door that the pilot left b just moments earlier.

.

.

.

.

.

" _Attention all personnel, please report to the bridge for pre-docking debrief. I say again, all crew and passengers to bridge for debrief_ "

Taehyung has to admit, this ship is much nicer than Cypher. They'd elected to stay in a spare room in the crew quarters rather than stay on their own vessel purely out of Seokjin's desire to show some sort of gratitude to the crew for rescuing them and providing them with food until they reach SOL. In the nine days since they were found he's only left the room for meals and to gather his belongings from the ship in the docking bay. It had been too much with the younger members of the crew constantly asking him what it was like onboard Cheonsa and during their flight through the asteroid field, and besides, what's an extra nine days alone after nearly four weeks anyway?

He meets the rest of the crew and his own team members at the bottom of the stairs from the third to the second deck where they have either left their designated sections or moved down from the common from. It's a slight crush to fit through the doors until they spill into the bridge, taking up most of the available space in there too. Unlike Cypher's four seat layout similar to Earth aircraft this bridge reminds Taehyung more of a boat - two seats sit front and centre for a pilot and navigator, and another two sit off to their left. To the right of the controls are 3 seats aligned to a wall of communications panels, occupied by three men all bearing the dark green trim of communications officers. Either side of the doorway he can just make out two more chairs and panels that look like weapons controls but with so many people crowding them it's hard to tell. 

The captain and a navigator are standing just behind the control seats and Taehyung can see what is presumably another pilot and navigator sat in them, guiding the ship towards the station that's rapidly filling their view. Taehyung moves towards Hoseok as best he can around the crew and settles too close against his side. It'll do for a few minutes.

"Right everybody, unfortunately this is not a leave of absence for any of us and we will be departing from SOL in six hours time after dropping off our passengers and receiving new cargo. In that time nobody is to leave the ship, understood?"

Murmuring erupts among the crew as they protest the rule. A brief look of panic takes over the captain's eyes until the black-haired navigator by his side speaks up "Quiet! Captain asked you a question, do you understand? Just because some of you may be older or you knew the captain before promotion does not remove his authority"

" _Yes Captain. Yes Sergeant_ "

"Thank you Doyoung" truthfully the pilot looks anything but thankful "Myself and Sergeant Kim will be leaving to escort our passengers and receive details for the next flight which means that Leading Sergeants Lee and Jung will be in charge until our return. Finally, could Leading Sergeant Nakamoto and Corporal Qian come with myself and the Cypher crew to the docking bay immediately to prepare for removal of the vessel?"

"Yes Captain"

"Good. You can all leave now"

Less than a split second later the bridge is filled with noisy voices as people leave, the navigators voice once again calling out "Remember none of you are to leave the ship unless instructed by the captain himself!"

Taehyung finds himself and Hoseok being swept along with the crowd, having to fight through them to reach the stairs that lead to the cargo hold and docking bay. That's when he looks out of the corridor window and sees Earth in the distance. It's still small enough that he could hide it with his thumb but it's so close there. Their home is right there in front of them after all this time, still looking the same as it did when they left.

He finds himself freezing as two thoughts press into his mind - the desperate want to be back in his home where things are as he knows them and the need to stay onboard this ship travelling the galaxy for the rest of his time in order to avoid the changes on Earth. Taehyung doesn't know what he wants. He knows he wants to be back home but he doesn't want it to happen this quickly, not when he's this unprepared for any of the changes.

Hoseok squeezes his shoulder gently and although no words leave his mouth Taehyung knows what he's saying.

_We'll get through this. All of us together._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not really happy with this chapter tbh


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm pretty sure this fic is almost complete and I just want to thank the people who have been with it since the start :)  
> When the three extra characters are introduced click the links for picture references.
> 
> Mood music for this chapter is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWL8PwMpvRs&list=LLc0L19lWP8A92jgbSZgrMYw&index=2
> 
> Please leave any comments they make me really happy to read and I always seek to improve my writing!

 

 

 

So far, Earth feels exactly the same to Taehyung. SOL had felt the same too with it's narrow grey corridors and garish yellow paint warning them of _Danger: Moving parts_ and _Danger: Airlock doors_ just like it had done when they boarded Cypher. Instead of exiting down the ship's ramp into a bay like they had with Cypher however, they'd left through a specialised crew door that connects directly to the ship, leaving the rest of the vessel inside the landing area. They'd then passed by a small window and Taehyung had stopped to watch as loading craft pull Cypher from the docking bay on the ship they've just left.

Put simply, the craft was a mess - thick black scorch marks cover most of the available surface and there's a sizeable dent around a much darker patch that indicates where one of the impacts hit them. One of the engines was barely recognisable anymore, reduced to a mess of wires and exposed metalwork at the very rear of the craft. When the ship had  rotated around they could see that one of the side wings had been completely torn off and is now surrounded by very visible marks from another of the impacts.

Commander Lee had escorted them whilst two other crew had wheeled a gurney holding the body of Sergeant Yoo until they reached a small holding room for crew. Taehyung had forgotten that the man's body had still been in Cypher's cargo bay until the debrief earlier on and seeing the pair hand off to station crew had brought back the memories from Cheonsa with full force. Thoughts of the two they'd never found flash through his mind.

The captain had bid them farewell after informing them that their belongings from Cypher would be brought to them shortly and then they'd been left alone to watch the solar system. Earth had barely moved when things were brought to them in wheeled crates. All of their belongings and items from Cypher tossed carelessly into a mixed cart, loaded up beside them on a shuttle by solemn faced crew who refused to talk to them. The only words spoken were among themselves or instructions from the shuttle pilot.

Now here they are back at the shuttle station, stepping out into a natural atmosphere with dirt under their feet. A loader rumbles past, reminding Taehyung of the day he'd met his crew. Back when he thought Yoongi was perpetually grumpy at every single thing and he thought the Commander hated his very existence, back when Hoseok's hair was still as bright as his smile, back when Seokjin had seemed so professionally closed off. 

It feels like so long ago. And yet, the shuttle station still looks exactly the same as it did when they left. Busier, and maybe some of the tech looks a bit _newer_ , but still the same.

Some young recruits lead them out of the bay and for a brief second Taehyung feels more like a prisoner than a Federation navigator with them pressed so close on all sides. That fades as soon as they round the corner out of the station and what he can only describe as a mob of people meets them. He can tell it's mostly press from the flashes of cameras and questions being demanded from them all.

" _What was it like losing contact?_ "

" _Any word on the missing crew of Cheonsa?_ "

" _How long has it been for you?_ "

The group pushes through, shoulders bumping painfully as they get jostled across the parking area before the station. They keep their heads bowed against the clicks and flashes of cameras until finally they pass through the gate of the Academy just across the road from the shuttle station. Though the press are held back by armed police at the gates Taehyung can still hear the questions being thrown at him.

" _Have you heard anything on your family since being rescued?_ "

Inside the Academy looks much the same as well with its dull white corridors scattered with displays for each graduation intake or training opportunities. There's a few extra doors that lead to new sections of the building but they still take the semi-familiar route towards the main hall. He doesn't particularly remember what the back route from the station was like back when he was a trainee.

Taehyung catches sight of a board labelled with _Graduation 2376_ with his own boxy smile reflected right back at him. That was taken eighty-three years ago. It's now 2459.

Yoongi's voice brings him back to the moment just as the youngest runs into the back of him "Fucking what"

He's stopped in the middle of the main reception, staring at a board that dominates one of the side walls. Their own portraits are on displayed there, right next to those of the Cheonsa crew and they each have small placards that state their name, age and rank. This is then followed by a short written piece or, in the case of themselves, the bold words _Missing, presumed dead._

"Please Commander Min, things will be explained to you all shortly" the man has a high and soft voice so out of place with his tall frame that it jerks Taehyung from his own mind slightly. 

They let themselves be pulled along, stares of Federation astronauts burning holes into their backs as they walk. Taehyung feels more numb by the second after seeing the board and all he can think is Jungkook probably died not knowing about his fate. What if he has no family left who remember the day he left? What if none of them care since his parents threw him out for his stupid dream? What if none of them have any family left, only each other to navigate a new world? 

Each of them are led off to a separate classrooms and the Commander leading their escort informs them that someone will be with them shortly. 

He can't do this. This is already too much and he doesn't have anything other than the horrors his own brain has created for him. Seconds later the door opens again, admitting three men. The first is the [same commander from their escort](https://data.whicdn.com/images/147160258/large.jpg), closely followed by the [soft spoken one](https://78.media.tumblr.com/7b4eaddcdcf47edbe991fd3438240184/tumblr_inline_p7jnxzZUNZ1vplw4d_1280.jpg). Taehyung's isn't surprised to see the dark grey badge of defence unit on both of their uniforms when he looks away from their unsmiling faces. The[ third man](https://www.corkeyewear.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/bts-rap-monster-5-400x453.jpg) at least smiles at him gently from behind the others, pushing his glasses back up his nose as he takes a seat at the desk.

The commander gestures for Taehyung to sit across from them "My name is Commander Cha Hakyeon, this is Leading Sergeant Jung Taekwoon and this is Sergeant Kim Namojoon. Owing to the situation and the amount of time that has passed, Namjoon is here to supervise if that's okay with you?"

Sure enough, the Seregant has red framing his badge for medical and Taehyung guesses he's most likely a therapist of some kind.

"Um yeah, that's fine"

"Excellent" the corners of his mouth twitch up slightly whilst he flips open a file that Namjoon has passed him "I'll start with the date okay? It's the eight of may in twenty-four sixty - exactly eighty-four years and seventy-two days since you left Earth"

The defence pair make for an odd combination - dark hair and tanned skin against almost white hair and pale skin. Like dark and light personified. The commander kind of has a long neck too for a person actually and he refuses to believe that the airy voice truly belongs to the second-in-command. Maybe they perfected human modifications in the time he's been gone.

"Taehyung?" the maybe therapist is looking at him with caution. Shit he just missed that entire bit.

"Ah sorry...uh could you say that again?"

"Of course. It says here that your only family prior to leaving was your mother, father and two younger siblings and according to our records your siblings are still alive. However, they declined contact when informed of your return to Earth despite multiple attempts to tell them that you would require assistance from them after your arr-"

His voice comes out sharp when he speaks over the man "It's fine. They never approved of the Federation anyway"

To his right Namjoon is scribbling notes down in another notebook, watching him as he does so. 

"Well, efforts were than made to contact your next of kin and roommate Jeon Jungkook" there's hesitation in his voice when he mentions the name. As if he's read further ahead than what he's speaking and he know's something awful. No no no it can't be true. He's too late for Jungkook and the younger has reached the end of his life before Taehyung could come home "Taehyung, records show that Mr Jeon was killed almost seventy years ago in a road traffic accident returning home from the memorial service held here"

He's too late. Jungkook hasn't even been waiting for him. He genuinely has nobody anymore, he's all alone.

Taehyung doesn't even realise he's running until someone catches his wrist to slow him, then twisting it painfully behind his back when he starts thrashing in their grip. Why can't they just let him leave? It's not like he has anything left anymore, only the Cypher crew who are just outside these doors receiving their own tragic news. Whoever has a hold of him brings his arm down to his side and Taehyung seizes his moment by shoving them sideways.

"Taek!"

He ignores the pained groan when he throws the door open and barrels into the coridoor. 

"Taehyung come back!" 

Seokjin looks shocked when the door swings back hard enough to slam on the wall, until his eyes land on Taehyung's form in the entryway. Immediately, he strides over the sweep the younger into his arms and Taehyung can see moisture glistening in the medics eyes as well. 

"Jin we're alone - there's nobody here, there's nobody left for me"

"I know Tae, I know" he shushes the other and starts rocking him in his grasp "We've got each other though and that's important too"

Yelling filters in from outside and Taehyung curls himself tighter into Seokjin's grasp. He doesn't want to hear anymore from them, he can't hear anymore about what's gone while he's been gone. Not when the most important thing has been gone for such a long time. There's the sound of more doors opening, harsh orders to back off scattered with some yelling at the same time and then another pair of arms joins them.

Yoongi. Small and solid at his back. Rumbling voice that he can feel more than he can hear.

"We're gonna get through this kid"

The pilot sounds choked up too and Taehyung wonders if his ex-navigator is still alive or if he too has been robbed from them by Time. A selfish part of him hopes that they're all alone because at least then they all have the same demons to battle. He sobs again when someone else joins the group.

"You've got us Tae"


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter purely because I don't want to force too much out of this fic - when I pretty much wanted to end it as soon as they returned to Earth.  
> I'm sorry that Namjoon is barely in this but it's just how the fic turned out :/
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented, left kudos or bookmarked this and I hope anyone who reads it afterwards will also enjoy it now that it's finished.  
> Final mood song for this chapter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g80hMksipbI&list=LLc0L19lWP8A92jgbSZgrMYw&index=3

 

 

 

Taehyung is trying really hard to ignore each scratch of Namjoon's pen against the ridiculously expensive notebook perched on the older mans lap. More analysis about his mental state being documented, most likely to prove that he's still unfit for duty. 

The last three months have been spent organising his and Jungkooks belongings out of storage, answering various intrusive questions from press outlets and going over fifteen years worth of video messages sent by the younger before the memorial. Being back on Earth wasn't as hard as he'd thought it would be, except that every time he's reminded of Jungkook old memories resurface. It's easier to just ignore it all.

"Do you still love him?"

The question catches Taehyung off guard and he flicks his eyes from staring at the pale blue sky to meet Namjoon's patient gaze. The other man is watching him patiently through his glasses which have slid slightly down his nose. He's been asked before about if he loved Jungkook, struggling to provide an answer that made sense because, yes he loved him as a friend, but like more of a friend than normal friends and Namjoon hadn't understood him at first.

"I never got to say goodbye...." Taehyung swallows slightly against the dryness in his mouth "It's almost as if he's just moved away or something, he could still be here, because I didn't see him go or anything"

Namjoon hums and writes something else down. Probably deciding he needs another eight weeks of leave to figure things out before he can be trusted to navigate a vessel again. Except he's bored. For all of the crap they had to deal with in space last time around, he wants to be back there. He was scared of dying and leaving Jungkook behind, maybe of fucking up someone else's life with his experience but doing a job he's trained years for was one of the greatest feeling he's ever had and especially now that he's got nothing tying him to Earth anymore he could fly the whole galaxy. 

He's still weirded out by his rational brain telling him that Jungkook is gone versus the part of him that still can't quite believe it.

"Here, take this"

A piece of paper slides across the table towards him. When Taehyung flips it over he see the bold seal of the Federation at the top and Namjoon's scribb- _signature._

"As of today Corporal Kim Taehyung is cleared for duty provided that he attends regularly scheduled sessions. Failure to do so will result in suspension and/or leave as well as the potential for demotion" Taehyung's jaw falls open at the words of the older man "Staying here isn't helping things for you so-"

"Thank you"

Namjoon stands then, taking slow steps to the door when Taehyung stands up after until they're both hovering in the entryway. It feels awfully forced, and clinical, when they shake hands and then he's being herded out with reminders that " _I'll be in touch_ " and " _Don't forget you can't miss our meetings_ ".

Leaving the Academy building to driving rain brings the same sense of finality that he felt on the day he graduated. Instead of nerves for the future like last time however Taehyung just feels anticipation bubbling, preparing to burst forth when he gets a posting. He's actually going back to space. He's going to be able to do his job again and escape the planet at least temporarily.

He has to go and tell someone.

.

.

.

.

.

Rain is still clinging to the damp air and dark clouds overhead bring the promise of more to come but for now Taehyung can forgo an umbrella at least. Converse are entirely impractical for a trek across soaked grass, each squeak and squelch only serves to remind him more. Oh well. He came straight from the Academy because this news is important.

The cemetery is pretty much a meadow of unkempt grass, scattered about occasionally with crumbling stones or wild tangles of flowers. Then again, with Federation recruitment growing in number and the fact that this particular place hasn't been added to in fifty Earth years its hardly surprising that Taehyung hasn't seen anyone here.

He heads for a small oak tree positioned on the far left of the field. Under it sits a small stone, dirty with age but at least still standing. 

 _Jeon Jungkook_.

_2356.09.01 - 2391.02.25_

_A loved son, brother and friend_.

Taehyung still hates the message. Too generic and boring.

Jungkook was the slight breeze on a hot summers day, or the hint of cinnamon biscuits. Something that just brings everything together and creates balance by providing the necessary extra.

(Jungkook who would probably hit him for such sappy descriptions)

Jungkook was his best friend who's nose would scrunch in confusion and who would drag his words when he wanted something. He was Taehyung's roommate and other half. 

 _His lover_?

Even now, the astronaut isn't sure what they were or where lines could be drawn. They were just Taehyung and Jungkook. That's all.

After a moments pause Taehyung crouches, mud seeping from under his shoes with the movement, to place a bunch of flowers at the base of the headstone. They're wilting slightly, a hurried afterthought as he made his way from the Academy, but they brighten up the mass of green all the same. A slight breeze rustles the leaves above his head and deposits a few raindrops in his hair and Taehyung likes to think that it's Jungkook in spirit. Maybe it is since his ashes formed the soil that planted the tree.

"Hey Kook...I'm being posted again. I printed a, uh, picture of you to take with me because I don't know how long I'll be gone this time" 

Taehyung huddles closer into his jacket when the wind picks up again "I haven't worn that uniform since the las-... since I left you last time but I'm ready to get away from here. Not from you, I printed a picture so you can come with me, you know, um, in spirit I guess...I thought you might like to see the galaxy since I never got to tell you about it"

"Corporal Kim!"

It would be comical how violently he jumps if his heart also didn't feel like it was about to give out from the effort of beating so hard. He turns around and finds Yoongi striding across the cemetery, slipping occasionally on any particularly wet patches of ground. He's swallowed up in a black turtleneck and long coat and Taehyung finds it so soft and out of place compared to the Commander's usual pressed uniform and serious face. 

"You don't have to call me that when we're not in uniform. Besides, what are you doing all the way out here?"

The pilot laughs slightly "Well, I'm here as a Commander to request the presence of my navigator for a posting in three days time"

"I thought you had Jimin..." his voice isn't unkind but he turns away all the same to avoid the elder's eyes "You're usually partners aren't you?"

"Ah well" He hums and follows Taehyung's gaze to the stone beside them instead of finishing his thought. As if he's unsure how to phrase it.

"You see...The posting is for a larger ship where we actually need two navigators and I thought maybe, if you wanted that is, that you could have some continuity of crew for your first posting since Cypher..." 

"You would do that?"

"I mean yeah. Kid, you're part of the group now how couls we co- _oof_ "

"Thank you, thank you, thankyouthankyouthankyou"

"Tae you're both taller and broader than I am please don't crush me"

"Oh" he steps back quickly to give the other some space. 

A few raindrops fall between them and it's only then that he notices the much louder crashing of leaves from the tree above them. The pilot closes the gap between them again, wrapping an arm behind his back and then guiding him toward the exit.

"Come on kid you've got a posting to prepare for"

Later, when he realises that he didn't look back or say goodbye to Jungkook, guilt would flare hot and accusing, but for now he lets himself feel happy and safe in the knowledge that he has people.

.

.

.

.

.

"Commander roll thirteen degrees to port then pitch to a bearing of 048"

"Thank you Sergeant" behind them SOL begins to grow smaller as the ship joins it's course.

" _Euphoria-FC-52 you are clear of station mass lock - please proceed to hyperspace as soon as possible_ "

"You heard 'em Kim, set us up"

"Sir I'm just a navigator, Sergeant Park is more senior than myself and surely the next candidate for pilot training"

"Just do it"

_Frame shift drive charging._

_Frame shift drive charged._

"Remember what I said about missing the star last time? If anything goes wrong I'll still kill you with my bare hands" the smile that accompanies Yoongi's words is sickeningly sweet and plastic. Taehyung slaps his hand on the authorise button with more force than necessary just to make a point to the Commander that he's following orders.

_Entering hyperspace jump in_

_4_

_3_

"Ready to see the galaxy?" he keeps his voice quiet, private, when he asks the question to nobody that's currently in the bridge with them.

Taped poorly to the console in front of him, courtesy of a certain other navigator, is the photo of Jungkook who smiles back at him. He doesn't need an answer to know what it would have been. The younger spent fifteen years sending messages and waiting to see Taehyung again. Of course he's ready.

_2_

_1_

Ready to see the small pockets of something in the vast expanse on nothing that is space.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've got some ideas for some other stuff (both BTS and others) so I'll be around :)


End file.
